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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238681">After Ever After</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahLaDuchesse/pseuds/SarahLaDuchesse'>SarahLaDuchesse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, F/F, Fluff, I just need them to be soft together ok, Post-Finale, but heavy petting and general horny activity, domestic gfs, gotta be gross together yknow, lots of snuggling and cuddling and filthy filthy HAND HOLDING, nothing explicit just yet, will add more tags and characters as the story goes on</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:48:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahLaDuchesse/pseuds/SarahLaDuchesse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Finale fluff, restoring magic to the universe, Catra and Adora exploring their relationship, other characters appear. Etheria healing from Horde Prime's occupation, dealing with the planet's magic being restored. Is anyone going to put Hordak on trial for his war crimes? Yes, no? Ok. </p><p>How do you discover what normal is when all you've known your entire life is war and conflict?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>471</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One Week Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For the first time in a very long time, Adora awoke </span>
  <em>
    <span>peacefully</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A week after defeating Horde Prime, the Best Friend Squad and the Princess Alliance had elected to take a vacation of sorts -- time off now that their largest threat any of them had ever could have even conceived in their lifetimes had been vanquished. Glimmer was taking this time to reacquaint herself and catch up with Micah; they had a lot to discuss. The other princesses returned to their kingdoms to rebuild and recoup, Entrapta accompanying Scorpia back to the Fright Zone to tackle the idea of rebuilding </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> kingdom. Not a prospect anyone thought Hordak would conform with, but the fact that he hadn’t been met with the same fate as Horde Prime, all things considered, he wasn’t in much position to object to the will of the Princesses without fear of obliteration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bow had left for the Whispering Woods after a couple of days to help his dads restore the library, their home, and move their supplies and equipment back out of the First Ones ruins they’d been hiding out in. Brightmoon Castle was… quiet, as of late, a stark contrast to the chaos that had been engulfing all of Etheria not even a month prior. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laying on her back, Adora’s eyes fluttered open to stare up at the ceiling of her room in the castle. Sometimes even now, it still never felt exactly like home. But right then, she couldn’t have felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> at home, the sound of soft purring reaching her ears, a comforting weight on her chest and shoulder, a soft arm draped across her middle underneath the blankets. Groggy with sleep, she lifted a hand, arm half asleep with Catra’s head on the crook between her shoulder and left bicep. She started to card her fingers through Catra’s hair, nails gently scraping along her scalp, causing the relaxed rumbling coming from the other girl to kick up like a motor starting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, and lifted her head to look down at the foot of the bed, Melog curled up and downsized to its smaller blue form, still snoozing away just as its master was. Adora let her head fall back down onto her pillow with a soft sigh, taking a few more minutes just to… enjoy this. No battles to fight. No armies to dismantle. No interstellar conquerors to defeat. Just the early morning light filtering through the purple curtains, the smell of morning dew drifting to her nose from the partially open window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mornings in Brightmoon were so different from mornings in the Fright Zone. For starters, you wouldn’t even be able to see the sun through the industrial smog covering the skyline. The only way to tell time would be the digital clocks dotted over the doors of the barracks, mess hall, locker room, and nearly every other door down every other corridor. The Horde wanted to make sure you knew that time was a very precious commodity, and yours was limited if one didn’t bend to Hordak’s will. Nearly every morning started in the barracks with a CO hollering at the top of his lungs to wake the cadets up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora recalled scrambling for her clothes, tying her hair up and shoveling a morning protein bar in her mouth, all while jogging to get to training. More often than not she’d have to stop to really make sure Catra woke up, shaking the girl at the foot of her bed by her shoulders and near-dragging her out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But here? Now? They didn’t have to go anywhere. They didn’t have to answer to anyone. They had sort of just saved all of Etheria, and freed the entire universe from Horde Prime’s tyranny. They could afford to take a little break for the first time in their lives. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora was pulled from her thoughts by a stirring at her side. Her hand in Catra’s hair stilled, watching as she opened her mouth and yawned wide, brow furrowing and closed eyes scrunching up further. Sharp fangs gleamed, her ears twitching under Adora’s fingers. Catra blinked open her eyes, bleary and searching, landing on Adora’s face. They went wide for a moment, and she could feel her tense up, the arm around her middle tightening, claws pricking her skin through her tank top, the fur along her shoulders rising before Adora smiled wide.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You’ve got awful morning breath, you know that?” Adora asked with a laugh, settling her arm around Catra’s shoulders and drawing her back in, hoping the touch would soothe her gut-reaction of fleeing. Seemed they both still couldn’t quite… believe it. Almost immediately Catra’s disbelief melted away, and she lifted a hand, pushing a palm into Adora’s cheek and shoving her face away. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You’re one to talk,” she grumbled back, her voice rough with sleep as Melog got up from the foot of the bed and wandered up the bed towards the two of them. He laid across Catra’s hip as she rolled up onto her side, retrieving her arm from around Adora’s middle to prop herself up on her elbow. Adora mirrored her posture, pulling her arm back to rest her head in her palm, rolling onto her side to bring herself closer to her again, bumping their foreheads together briefly. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Sleep okay?” she asked, letting blue eyes close to simply feel the peace in the air around them, quiet and tucked away from the rest of the world in their own little corner of paradise. A small smile curved Catra’s lips, and she leaned up, brushing the tip of her nose against hers, humming a simple affirmative response. Adora felt her heart leap when her face got closer, a modicum of disbelief still present every day that Catra </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> her. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You? You didn’t wake up thrashing at all,” Catra noted. Normally she woke up long before Adora did due to her tossing and turning, even occasionally on the receiving end of an unlucky swing in the dead of night. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yeah, actually. I feel… really well rested, actually,” Adora admitted with a short laugh, dropping her free hand between them. Catra’s touch reached for hers at the same time, their fingers finding each other on the mattress between them, folding her hand over the back of Adora’s and interlacing their fingers together. Adora lifted her hand to her mouth, letting her lips brush over Catra’s knuckles without much thought to it, glancing up at her face in time to see her blush at the motion, ears dropping back against her head.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ugh, you’re so gross,” Catra scoffed, pulling her hand away and giving her a light shove in the shoulder back before she sat up. Adroa grinned, sitting up behind her and getting up on her knees, draping her arms around Catra’s middle and resting her chin on her shoulder. She let her body rest against her back, leaning her weight onto Catra’s frame.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“This coming from the girl who licks stuff to claim it as hers?” Adora countered, giving her a light squeeze as Melog dropped from Catra’s lap onto the floor to wander over to the window and get a look outside. Catra was quiet for a moment, before she turned her head, licking the side of Adora’s face with an indignant noise.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Catra!” Adora yelped, falling back slightly in her shock; but really, she should’ve seen that one coming. She wiped at her cheek with her arm, laughing, as Catra turned around and leapt on her, pushing her onto her back further. They devolved into tickling each other between Adora’s attempts to shove Catra’s face with her tongue sticking out away from her own, rolling back and forth. They only stopped when their wrestling landed them on the floor, breaking apart with a light “oof” before they both laughed it off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon,” Adora said, getting to her feet, extending a hand down to Catra,”Let’s go grab breakfast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>-</span> <span>-</span> <span>-</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The large double doors to the dining room opened with a shove. Cleaned up and dressed, Adora was happy to see Glimmer and Micah already at the table, talking excitedly over full plates of breakfast. Micah straightened when the doors opened, and gave a light wave to the two as they entered, a warm smile on his face. He had taken to tying his long hair back rather than cutting it, dressed in relaxed regalia considering his daughter was officially the Queen. The Queen in question turned when he waved, and Glimmer grinned, a burst of glitter and light popping as she teleported over between Catra and Adora. Slinging her arms around their shoulders, she pulled them down slightly as she was shorter, saying,”Good morning sleepyheads! Come and sit, there’s lots to eat!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Catra bristled, slipping back out of the hold with a huff, Adora grinning at her predictable reaction. Glimmer had never been a morning person before; it was usually Bow’s job to wake them up and get them moving, but ever since she’d been reunited with Micah, Glimmer seemed to be bursting with energy. As they took their seats beside each other and started loading up their plates with the veritable buffet spread on the table, Glimmer teleported back over to her seat beside her father.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You’re just in time,” Micah said, taking a sip from his cup of coffee,”We were just talking about the idea you had to bring magic back to the universe.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Adora paused, halfway lifting a large bite of breakfast sausage to her mouth. She set her fork back down, her eyes drawn to Catra seated at her side. She was watching her, waiting for her reply just as intently as Micah and Glimmer seemed to be, but otherwise her expression didn’t betray her feelings on the idea. Under the table however, Adora felt Catra’s hand rest on her knee, giving a reassuring squeeze.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Taking a breath, Adora said,”Right. The thing is, when I said that, I didn’t exactly have any idea </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do that. She-Ra was only able to restore Etheria’s magic because it already had magic reserves, dormant deep beneath the surface. If a planet has been completely sapped of magical energy, I’m not sure she’d be able to do it. I don’t want to give the people of those planets false hope, promising something I’m not sure I can accomplish.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You defeated Horde Prime!” Glimmer reminded her,”I’m sure even if for some reason you can’t restore a planet’s magic, the people living there won’t stop being grateful for </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>! I was already thinking we could visit the Star Siblings’ planet. They knew what magic was, and those stories must have come from somewhere. Not to mention they probably have more experience with interstellar travel than we do, and could probably provide a better idea of where to start than just running off in a random direction and hoping for the best.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Isn’t that what you guys normally do though?” Catra asked with an arched brow, grin on her face showing the jab was in good humor. Glimmer stuck her tongue out at her in response, earning a chuckle from Micah at the gesture perhaps unbecoming of the Queen of Brightmoon. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“It always worked out for us before,” Adora said with a shrug,”Besides, even when we did try to make a plan, they usually fell apart within the first ten minutes.” For all her tactical and strategic planning skills learned from the Horde, when applied on actual missions with the Rebellion, the ideas never seemed to stick. An unexpected circumstance always seemed to pop up and throw everything out of whack. The hand on her knee gave another squeeze, and she was pleasantly surprised to find Catra looking at her with earnest, open encouragement.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You didn’t have me before,” she said,”I said I’d be coming with you. If… </span>
  <em>
    <span>when</span>
  </em>
  <span> we go, I’ll make sure your plans stay on track.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora felt her chest swell with warmth, and she laid her hand over Catra’s, unable to fight the smile on her face. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That sounds perfect.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Great! That just leaves us Bow,” Glimmer said, pushing her now empty plate forward,”I’ll have to check in with the other Princesses too. See how everyone’s doing before we start mapping this out. This is so exciting!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She stood, and with another burst of magic, teleported out of the room. Micah smiled into his cup of coffee, before setting the now empty mug down. He leaned back in his seat, sighing contentedly,”It’s good to be home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra nudged Adora in the side, nodding at their food then tipping her head towards the door. Adora blinked once then stood, picking up her plate and saying,”Uhh, King Micah-- your Highness-- we’re uh, going to take our breakfast outside.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He seemed a bit surprised, mostly by the fact that she’d inform him, sounding as if she were asking permission. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> She-Ra after all. And after liberating all of Etheria from the magical constraints the First Ones had put in place </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> defeating Horde Prime, it’s not as if anyone would really object to her taking her breakfast outside with her girlfriend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra gathered up her own plate, Melog winding back and forth between their legs as they ducked out of the dining hall and down through the castle corridors to one of the gardens outside. They bumped into each other purposefully along the way, trying to get the other to drop their food, until they found a nice shaded spot underneath a fruit tree, plopping down in a heap to eat, leaning against each other while Melog chased butterflies back and forth through the courtyard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the castle seemed to still be asleep, and it was these quiet moments together, Adora resting her head on Catra’s shoulder while they leaned back against the trunk of the tree together, shoveling food into their mouths, not saying a word while they ate; she was really happy</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Honestly and truly happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that made her nervous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew it made Catra nervous, too. The way they both would keep looking over their shoulders for the next threat, the next danger. Listening for sounds of conflict late into the night before sleep took them, needing to distract each other by staying up and whispering about </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and up until last night, Adora still waking up ready to fight, heart thudding and adrenaline lancing through her veins. She still had a knife under her pillow. Catra had her claws, of course, so she didn’t need a knife, but the way she bristled at nearly every little sound was obvious. Melog would have to lay on her chest while she took deep breaths to calm herself down, Adora stroking her hair back and reassuring her they were safe. Reassuring herself they were safe, that the fight was over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How were they supposed to live normal lives now, never knowing a normal other than conflict and war? It was exhausting, to say the least, so the prospect of pursuing another mission brought a strange sense of calm. Having a task to complete, with a clear line drawn for success or failure, a goal to accomplish… </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> they could work with. Brightmoon forces had their hands full reestablishing trade routes, and Glimmer had insisted they stay out of it, and take the time to relax and recuperate. It was driving them both a little stir-crazy, itching to get into the war room and sit in on meetings, even if it was difficult to concentrate on the map of Etheria when they kept distracting each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Little touches, the brush of Catra’s tail over her leg, arms bumping where they sat next to one another. It didn’t make anyone else in attendance uncomfortable, long used to Spinerella and Netossa flirting over planning sessions, just not quite as hopelessly obvious as the two former Horde members. Netossa had teased them, calling them lovebirds, asking if the meeting was distracting them, if they needed some “alone time”, and they had had the wherewithal to be embarrassed at least but not at all ashamed otherwise when Catra seated herself square in Adora’s lap to listen to Glimmer talk about sending an emissary to Dryll to help reopen the kingdom in Entrapta’s absence to the Fright Zone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora smirked at the memory just as she felt Catra shift, turning her head to press an absent kiss to the top of her head. She lifted her face in response, brushing her lips over hers in a casual display of affection, leaning up after a moment to kiss her fully. She was still ecstatic that she could just do that now, no fear or uncertainty freezing her heart in her chest. When she pulled away, she found Catra looking down to meet her gaze, heterochromic eyes alight with this soft expression that she didn’t think she could ever get tired of seeing on her face. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Hey Catra,” Adora giggled, </span>
  <em>
    <span>giggled</span>
  </em>
  <span>, their food finished and set aside. She was warm and sleepy again from a full stomach, but with just one kiss her energy had been refreshed once more, restless and eager for some sort of action. Catra’s laugh in response was like music to her ears, a clawed hand lifting to cup her jaw with the utmost care, other arm sliding around her middle to pull her back in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of wingbeats and a greeting whinny made Catra startle, head whipping skyward to the sound. Adora reached a hand up to soothe her thumb over her cheek, saying,”Hey! Hey, it’s okay, it’s just Swift Wind.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Sure enough, the pegasus was touching down in the clearing moments later, Melog darting out from the grass and racing to stand in front of Catra as his form shifted, large and red and hissing, hackles raised. Adora peeled herself away to stand up, stepping forward to greet her steed and hopefully placate the ruffled felines behind her. Swift Wind folded his wings back, shuffling his hooves nervously in place at the hostility behind his bonded partner.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Catra smoothed a hand back through her bristling hair, taking a deep breath in through her nose. Adora had turned, hand outstretched to her and Melog, her other patting Swift Wind’s neck.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m not scary,” Swift Wind insisted, lowering his head, though the sunlight catching on the long, very pointy horn on his head potentially betrayed that statement. Melog’s “fur” shifted slowly back to blue, and Catra stood up from where she had been glued to the spot. She took a few tentative steps forward, before placing her hand in Adora’s, only to yelp as she grinned and yanked her forward. She put Catra’s hand on Swift Wind’s nose, the both of them startling, but Adora’s hand on his neck and hold over Catra’s hand seemed to calm them both. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The first friendly meeting between Catra and Swift Wind had been less than ideal. His loud, bombastic energy had been very sudden and surprising to the standoffish and aloof girl, and his oddly charming jealousy at her relationship with Adora had led to an amusing argument between them about his and Adora’s “sacred bond” as She-Ra and noble steed. Adora hadn’t been able to help but burst into laughter at the display, and since then a sort of truce had been found at least. But Swift Wind being Swift Wind still meant he was loud and energetic and didn’t often make his entrances subtle enough not to spook her and Melog, meaning most of the time Adora had to play mediator for a couple of minutes to calm things back down again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He huffed out hot breath from his nose on Catra’s hand, and she pulled it back with a light hiss, wiping it off on her pants. Adora smiled, shaking her head before saying,”Think you two can play nice long enough to make it to Mystacor?” To get away from the castle and further enjoy their vacation of sorts, they’d decided to spend the day at Mystacor. The beach had been incredibly relaxing when Glimmer and Bow had taken her, and it being made of clouds rather than ocean, she hoped it would help Catra find some peace as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Castaspella had insisted they were all welcome any time, and Adora planned on using that to her advantage. They had packed for the trip the night before, bags waiting up in her-- </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> room, ready to go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As long as he doesn’t drop me,” Catra grumbled, folding her arms across her chest, tail flicking back and forth as she glared up at Swift Wind. He puffed out his chest, drawing his head back up to his full height, saying,”I would never!” Adora rolled her eyes and patted his flank once, before taking Catra’s hand in hers, saying,”We’re just gonna go grab our stuff, ok Swifty?” He gave a salute with one of his wings, before settling down to eat some grass during the wait for their return. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t there another way to get to Mystacor?” Catra groaned as she let Adora walk her back up through the castle halls, passing a few guards along the way with a nod. Adora arched a brow back over her shoulder at her, replying,”If you’d like, I could ask Glimmer to teleport us there…” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Catra frowned at that, not a fan of the Queen’s teleportation magic. In that short moment of transdimensional relocation, her righting reflex was thrown off by the second of there not </span>
  <em>
    <span>being</span>
  </em>
  <span> an up or down sense. Just the memory pitched her stomach, and she swallowed down the nauseous sensation with a shake of her head. Swift Wind knew the way, and it would cut their travel time down by more than half. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No-- ugh, fine, whatever,” Catra conceded with a shake of her head, before falling quiet again. Her eyes drifted down to their linked hands, smiling softly to herself after a moment, only letting go once they were at their room doors. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You’ll be fine,” Adora insisted, going to where she had two packed bags waiting packed by the wardrobe. “I’ll be with you the whole time, and Swift Wind really won’t drop you. I promise.” She slung one bag over her shoulder, and turned around to hold the other out to Catra, who approached with a huff and slipped her arms through the straps. She gripped them tight to ground herself, still pouting at the prospect of riding around on that </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Seriously, it can’t be much different than when you ride on Melog’s back,” Adora said, circling around in front of her, a reassuring smile on her face. Her hands went to cup Catra’s face, gently at first before her grin turned teasing and she squished her cheeks between her palms. Catra slapped her hands away with a snort, only for Adora to catch her wrist before she could pull away completely. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Hey. I mean it. You’ll be alright,” Adora reassured her, much less teasing this time as she took her hand in both of hers, squeezing gently. She took a step closer, cradling her touch to her chest like a precious gem between them. Catra bumped her forehead to hers with a low sigh, taking a deep breath after to further steel her nerves. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Ok. I trust you,” Catra exhaled, before guiding her closer with her hand in hers, her free arm draping around her waist. Even as her eyes closed, she could practically feel Adora’s smile, especially so when they both closed the gap further. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catra was always wary of her fangs when they kissed, worried they would catch on Adora’s soft mouth. She would be tentative, not wanting to hurt her more than she already had in the past. Adora didn’t seem to have any such qualms, sighing happily into the embrace and leaning fully into it. Her lips were insistent against Catra’s, seeking out her warmth and comfort, grinning still. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Mmmh…”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Catra’s ears fluttered at the noise from the other girl’s throat, feeling a pitch in her stomach completely unrelated to any memory of teleportation. Carefully, carefully, she opened her mouth slowly, inviting Adora to deepen the kiss if she desired. An offer that was quickly snatched up, though she didn’t know why she bothered being surprised anymore. Adora was reckless and impulsive and often acted without thinking, but at long last she finally seemed to be thinking about what </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted. It just so happened to be Catra, a fact that had her heart soaring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C-Careful,” Catra gasped, muffled, feeling her tongue skirt along her lower lip,”S’sharp--”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I know,” Adora hummed, pulling back just enough to reply before tipping her head and diving back in. Heat flared up the back of Catra’s neck, and her hand around Adora’s middle clung onto the material of her shirt, getting lost in the sensation of Adora’s tongue in her mouth, her lips on hers, dizzying and overwhelming almost all of her senses from a kiss alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her knees were just starting to go weak when they separated, a goofy smile on Adora’s face when Catra’s eyes opened to look at her in still mild disbelief. Hand still in hers, Catra could feel how sweaty Adora’s palms had gotten, and it was a small comfort to know they were both still getting used to this, together. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Come on, better not keep Swift Wind waiting too long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>-</span> <span>-</span> <span>-</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora didn’t do anything to try and loosen Catra’s death grip. Turned out, riding on Melog’s back on the ground was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> different from soaring through the air on a winged horse. She had both arms wrapped crushingly tight around Adora’s middle, pressing her face into her back, her claws nearly tearing through her top where she clung to her shirt. Touching down along the coastal edge of Mystacor’s floating island was a godsend, but she still didn’t move, clinging to Adora like a cat stuck in a tree clinging to a branch. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Catra, we’re here,” Adora said tentatively, reaching a hand down to pat one of her arms squeezing around her waist. When Catra didn’t lift her head up, hissing, Adora sighed and slid down off Swift Wind’s back. She looped her hands under Catra’s thighs as she hopped down, holding her on her back, Catra quickly adjusting her hold to go up around her neck and shoulders, yanking her off-balance a moment before Adora righted herself with a grunt. Between their bags </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Catra hanging off of her, it was a bit difficult to maneuver, but taking a second to reaffirm her grip made it relatively simple enough to start the walk towards the beach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Castaspella normally would have greeted them at the runway, on any other day, but since Horde Prime’s occupation, everyone seemed to be busy with rebuilding efforts. Hopefully that meant they could enjoy their beach day relatively uninterrupted. It was hard to fight the desire to go and check in and ask if they needed any help, but today was supposed to be a day for her and Catra to spend together and relax. About halfway through the walk, Catra finally lifted her head up, looking around them in surprise. On the one side, the secret magical college of Mystacor; spires reaching even further to the heavens they floated above, and on the other, rolling tides of clouds as the grass under foot turned to pure white sand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa…” she breathed, her tensed shoulders relaxing a bit as she stared out at the pink and white waves. Adora smiled, breathing coming a bit harder, a loose strand of hair falling in front of her face as she found a good spot to set up. Well, as good a spot as any. This was really only her second time coming to the beach, so she wouldn’t consider herself an expert. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she stopped, Catra hesitated before finally loosening her grip and sliding off Adora’s back. The sand beneath her feet felt so strange, curling clawed toes in the grains experimentally as she crouched down. Melog hopped out of her bag, returning to his full size now that they were no longer in transit. He shoved his snout into the sand, only to pull back with a start and sneeze, parroting one of Catra’s sneezes before shaking his head rapidly. Adora smiled to herself, laying out a large beach towel from her bag before she sat down on it, kicking off her boots and stuffing her socks in them. She pushed her feet into the cool sand, peeling off her jacket and loosely hugging her knees halfway to her chest, rolling up her shirt sleeves to better feel the warm sun and cool breeze on her skin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Feeling Catra’s eyes on her, she turned her head to confirm she was indeed staring, and shifted slightly where she sat, blush coloring her cheeks. Adora reached up and tucked that stray lock of blond hair behind her ear, shoulders curving upward as she looked away, asking,”W-What?”</span>
  <span></span><br/>

  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“N-Nothing! Nothing, I just-- you--” Catra started, stumbling over her words, having been caught being very obviously transfixed. Normally Adora couldn’t relax to save her life, but here she was reclining on a beach, enjoying the sun and fresh air, seeming at peace and calm and it… it looked good on her, ok? Catra wouldn’t mind seeing more of it. Seeing her happy, a soft smile on her face. Blushing herself, Catra scratched the back of her neck lightly, before she slunk over from her crouch to join her on the large beach towel, obviously brought with the intent for them to share. She bumped Adora’s shoulder with her own, stretching her legs out in front of herself, one crossed over the other as she leaned back on her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... This is nice,” Catra said, feeling Adora relaxing again at her side now that she had joined her. Adora sat up, only to lean back on her arms and mirror Catra’s posture, placing her hand on top of hers. Catra tilted her head, resting it on Adora’s shoulder as they both watched the clouds roll in and out, lapping at the shore lazily. Adora hummed her agreement, tipping her own head to rest atop Catra’s, basking in the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a good way to spend the day.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can't remember the last time I wrote fanfiction. Maybe in high school? But after that series finale I'm starving for more content so I figured I may as well take a crack at it. Thought to share it here, maybe see if other folks enjoy it too. I swear there'll be a plot at some point, but I've always liked character driven stories and interactions, and these two are just too perfect to pass up on</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Deep Breaths and Bubble Baths</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Catra takes Perfuma up on her offer for guided meditation. Trouble is brewing again, and some ghosts haunt more painfully than others.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Feel the energy in the air around you. Feel the way the wind blows through your hair, and breathe in deeply through your nose. What does it smell like?”<br/><br/>Perfuma’s voice used to be grating to her ears, but sitting cross-legged in the shade of one of Plumeria’s numerous trees on a warm summer afternoon, hands loose in her lap, eyes closed, Catra figured her guiding tone must have grown on her over time. At first, all this nonsense about “finding your center” and “balancing the energy around you” had been nothing but headache-inducing talk. Perfuma had been kind enough to offer help (not that the flowery princess was ever unkind), and Catra had declined at first. They had sort of had more pressing issues to address at the time. But after the dust had settled, it was actually Catra who had brought it up to Perfuma the next time she was in Brightmoon for an Alliance meeting.</p><p>So, here they were, seated side by side in what Perfuma had told her was the lotus position. Whether that’s what it was actually called or the princess just liked naming poses after flowers was up for debate, but Catra had found that the deep breathing and being told what to focus on helped calm her racing thoughts. Melog was benefiting greatly from her growing control over her emotions and wrangle on any angry outbursts. Granted, it was easier to tell if they were coming, a visual representation of the warning signs of an impending meltdown in his coloration and form. But being given the tools to effectively handle them without breaking anything or hurting anyone was empowering in a way she had never quite expected. Of course, it wasn’t something she had perfected; she slipped up every now and then. </p><p>Some minor inconvenience would often be the tipping point. Any number of stressors would build up beneath the surface. Whether it was resentment, fear, anger, confusion… She would often get lost in her own head, during quiet moments alone with her thoughts. Was she pulling the switch? Was she fighting Hordak? Was Double Trouble looming over her, telling her everything that was wrong with her? Was Shadow Weaver stroking her fur one moment, then freezing her in electrifying red energy the next? Was she younger again, lashing out at everyone around her, or grown and doing the same? </p><p>“It smells like… pollen,” Catra said with a wrinkle of her nose, grounding herself with the nearly overwhelming smell of flowers. Plumeria was excellent at clogging her senses, but Perfuma was insistent there was more, prompting,”And? What else can you smell? Deep breaths, Catra.”</p><p>Inhaling deeply, she trained her nose on the rolling breeze, brow furrowing slightly as she concentrated. Catra’s tail flicked back and forth slowly, languid and lazy through the grass where she sat. The scent of lavender was incredibly strong underneath the general haze. She started to carefully comb through it, picking out the different smells hiding amongst one another.</p><p>“Like… like marigolds. Peonies and chrysanthemums, too,” she hummed, having to think of what the flowers were called,”And… someone setting an apple pie out to cool on their window sill.” Her hands clenched in her lap unfurled, splaying her fingers over her knees slowly, unwinding. She didn’t even flinch when Perfuma clapped happily, managing to sound excited without needing to raise her voice.<br/><br/>“That’s very good Catra. Being able to find little things to ground yourself is an excellent tool to remind yourself of where you are, in the present, and keep one’s mind in reality,” Perfuma informed her, and the praise had Catra puffing up her chest a bit in pride. Her ears flickered atop her head, the sound of children’s laughter getting closer grabbing her attention, a familiar voice drifting to their secluded spot having her sitting up straighter for an entirely different reason.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry I can’t stay very long, but I promise you can braid She-Ra’s hair next time I visit…”<br/><br/>Catra opened her eyes and swiveled where she sat to look to Adora as she stepped through the copse of trees of their little clearing, tailed by about half a dozen little ankle-biters all clamoring to hold her hand, or ask her questions, or beg for a story, or a turn riding on her shoulders. Perfuma reached a hand across and gave Catra’s knee a reassuring squeeze, saying,”You did great today.”<br/><br/>The positive reinforcement was still something she had a hard time getting used to, thinking at first that she was just trying to get her to lower her guard so she could get her to spill her guts and use it against her later. The easiest way around that had been that this was <em> Perfuma </em> they were talking about. One of the least threatening princesses in the Alliance -- at first glance, anyway. She had seen firsthand just how powerful her chlorokinesis could be, and knew it took even more strength to control it.<br/><br/>“I think that’s a great place to wrap up for today,” Perfuma added with a cheery grin, getting to her feet and dusting blades of loose grass from the seat of her dress,”Besides, I think someone wants your attention.” Catra couldn’t help but smile and roll her eyes, Perfuma stepping forward to distract the children by making colorful plants, this time unfamiliar to both Catra’s eyes and nose, bloom and dance around on thick vines.<br/><br/>Adora looked a little flustered, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys. I thought I was being sneaky--” she started, only to pause when Catra got up and closed the distance, draping her arms around her shoulders and sighing out contentedly, their foreheads bumping together.<br/><br/>“It’s ok. We just finished up anyway,” she said, and besides, she knew how most kids reacted when they saw Adora, if the handmade She-Ra dolls weren’t obvious enough. Stepping back, she linked her hand with Adora's, Melog trotting out from his spot where he had been napping underneath the bushes to circle their ankles. "So what's up?"</p><p>"Glimmer called a meeting. Apparently there's been some sort of disturbance along the route between Alwynn and Erelandia, the scouts should be reporting back within the hour," she explained with a mild frown. They had already saved the world, maybe the entire universe. Was it too much to ask that it just stay saved for a little while? </p><p>"Can't someone else deal with it?" Catra groaned, running her free hand back through her hair in her agitation, smoothing down stray tufts only for them to fluff back up again.</p><p>"I wanted to get a look myself. Just to make sure. And I wanted you to come with me," Adora explained,"Knowing the problem is being taken care of… I'd feel better." She gave her hand in hers a squeeze, knowing she was being selfish, but it was stressful enough being separated from her for short periods of time. Sometimes, when she awoke in the middle of the night, there was a split second of fear that Catra had left. As if she would roll over one morning and the space beside her would be empty. </p><p>An understanding smile curved Catra's lips, and she shook her head before relenting.</p><p>"Fine. But you owe me one," she said, the mischievous glint in her eyes showing she was only half joking. Laughing once, Adora countered with,"Sure, I'll ask Mermista to make sure there's extra fatty tuna next time we visit Salineas."</p><p> </p><ul>
<li>-    -</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>After Entrapta's device had disabled all of the mind-control chips, freeing the consciousness of everybody that had been infected, Horde Prime had deployed a veritable armada of clones to quell the insurgence in an attempt to take back control of the situation. Once the fail-safe had been activated, and She-Ra obliterated the essence of Horde Prime's existence, any semblance of connection the hive mind had had was severed irreparably. This had some… interesting consequences.</p><p>Wrong Hordak was very passionate about attempting to form positive bonds with the remaining clones. He practically became the poster boy overnight for reform. Denouncing Horde Prime as a false prophet, he wished desperately for his countless Brothers to come to this realization as well, but some were far more deeply indoctrinated. Having been both connected to the hive mind and conditioned from the very beginning of their existence to follow him, without Horde Prime, and without a purpose to serve, the flock was lost. A rift had formed, a melting pot of different responses to his defeat. </p><p>Many were confused and unsure of what to do, looking to one another for answers but unable to find them. Those with a gentler temperament were easy to sway, and it simply became a matter of finding a place for them in Etherian society. They had even begun to build a commune from the remains of a long-past battleground, trying to live as simple a life as possible.</p><p>Some other clones were not quite as docile.</p><p>Enraged by their savior's demise, pitiful attempts to reclaim Horde Prime's former glory were snuffed out as quickly as they arose. The infighting in these minority groups vying for power as the "next Prime" often meant they took care of themselves without the Rebellion even having to do so much as lift a finger. Some were disgusted by the idea any one of them would even think to attempt ascension, others desperate for a leader to follow. From there they often split into even smaller factions, keeping the violence relatively well contained to clone on clone incidents and attacks. Those were never easy to respond to whenever it encroached on protected town borders, seeing as it was next to impossible to discern who was on whose side.</p><p>Not to mention many Etherians were not happy with their continued presence on the planet to begin with.</p><p>Day in and day out, Glimmer and the other princesses were handling complaints from their respective kingdoms about the clones. One meeting of the Alliance had the proposal of rounding up the remaining copy-pasted entities, but contention sparked around what to do with them after the fact. They were living beings, complete with unique consciousness and self-awareness. </p><p>It had taken some time getting used to the spitting image of their former tyrannical overlord walking around the ship when they had  been traveling with Wrong Hordak, but even if they looked the same, they were vastly different people. </p><p>Glimmer had sent Catra, Adora, Netossa, and Spinerella to handle the reported disturbance. The scouts had returned with information that a small encampment of clones had been demanding supplies from the merchants and trade caravans passing through, but for the most part were non-violent. Catra had a hard time believing it would stay that way, considering the arm cannons most of them had been originally deployed with.</p><p>Coming up in the general vicinity of where the clones had been spotted, Adora found it still a bit difficult to get used to the sight of the roads after the planet's magic had been freed. The grass was lush, and overgrown, like much of the surrounding vegetation. Trees had seemed to stretch taller, wider, growths of magically charged fungi and roots decorating the trunks. Animals could often be seen along the edges of the woods, playing and snacking on the abundance of food overflowing from nature. A small flock of birds soared past overhead, and she spotted Catra staring skyward with eyes as wide as dinner plates.</p><p>Adora snorted, covering her laugh with the back of her hand. Catra pulled her attention back down to the task at hand, whipping her head around to ask,"What?"</p><p>"Bow is right. You're just… really cute."</p><p>"Not you too! I'm not cute! Shut up!" Catra growled back, but none of her snarling ever really had that same bite as it used to before, shoving Adora's shoulder while they walked. This just made Adora laugh more, bumping her hip into Catra's in retaliation with a grin.</p><p>"Will you two keep it down?" Netossa sighed over her shoulder from her place ahead of them in the marching order, folding her arms across her chest,"Or do you wanna go announcing we're here to a whole group of those things?"</p><p>Walking alongside her, Spinerella laid a hand around her shoulders, saying,"I think it's sweet. Don't they remind you of us when we first started dating?" The bright afternoon sunlight caught on a band of silver around her finger where her hand gently squeezed Netossa's upper arm.</p><p>"No, sorry, Netossa is right. We'll quiet down," Adora apologized quickly, a faint blush warming her cheeks, only to smirk and lightly elbow Catra in the ribs once their backs were turned. Catra swatted at her leg, Adora skipping away gingerly only to stop when her foot hit something with an audibly metallic thud.</p><p>The four stopped, and Adora looked down at a rectangular mound covered in moss. Frowning, she knelt down, peeling some of the moss away and pulling an abandoned Horde arm cannon from where it was half submerged in mud. </p><p>"Well… they were definitely here. We must be getting close," Spinerella noted, rubbing the back of her neck in a ghost of a gesture, feeling uncomfortably for something that wasn't there anymore. </p><p>Then the first blast sounded, a peal of lime green light ripping through the air in an unstable arc. It collided with the road, throwing up chunks of debris and earth indiscriminately. The four leapt out of the way as several clones charged out from the treeline, raggedly dressed but seeming to still be trying to maintain some sort of uniform appearance. One marched forward slower, a large, sort of Jerry-rigged arm cannon mounted along the entire length of the limb, a large glowing power source strapped to the same shoulder.</p><p>Netossa threw a shielding net down as the other clones with their standard cannons continued to lay down covering fire for the heavy's approach, a high-pitched whining noise in the air signifying he was charging another attack. Spinerella swept a gust of wind in a slicing arc, knocking a few of the soldiers off their feet. Catra leapt forward, feeling the warm, protective veil of Melog's invisibility wash over her as his form grew.</p><p>"For the honor of Grayskull!"</p><p>Catra didn't have to look back to know Adora was following suit, the burst of white light seeming to surprise some of the advancing clones. It was enough for Catra to close the gap on one of them, break invisibility, and tear his arm cannon off of his arm, shredding the metal and firing components in the process before darting back into her unseen cover. She could see the heavy lining up his shot, aiming squarely for She-ra with a snarl curling his lips.</p><p>"Adora!!"</p><p>The second burst of energy from the Frankensteined weapon seemed even more unstable than the first, bolts of loose energy shooting off into different directions from the main beam. Adora planted her feet, and lifted the sword, flicking her wrist and effortlessly deflecting the beam skyward where it fizzled out harmlessly about 100 meters up. She frowned, magically charged blue eyes bright, and with a burst of speed trailed by cosmic light, closed the distance between the clone and herself before anyone could so much as blink. The clone swung his fist, refusing to back down even as she towered over him, and she caught the blow in her palm.</p><p>She bent his arm back, forcing him to his knees, before lifting her sword and spearing it through the mounted energy source on his shoulder with terrifying precision. She severed its connection to his arm cannon, which powered down with a decisive warble, the green glow of the tubes along the side dimming. </p><p>"No! You can't do this-- Horde Prime is eternal! He will rise again, and when he does, he will purify this land and rebuild it in his image! He will--"</p><p>Having heard this speech before, Adora sighed and struck the side of his neck swiftly, causing the clone to crumple into the grass like a puppet who just had its strings cut.</p><p>Netossa and Spinerella were just finishing up with restraining the other clones, Catra approaching her empowered partner with a coil of rope. Tossing it, she watched Adora catch it with a sigh before circling around the clone to bind his hands behind his back. They would have to transport these clones to one of the nearby Brightmoon outposts for holding. </p><p>"It looks like they're cannibalizing whatever tech they can get their hands on," Catra noted, frowning at the broken pieces of the clone's weapon as She-ra stood, hefting the prisoner over one shoulder with weightless effort. Melog sniffed at some of the still faintly glowing green liquid oozing out of a severed tube, before hissing and darting back behind Catra. </p><p>"That must have been what they were targeting the caravans for. They would need tools to do something like this," Netossa mused, dusting her hands off together as she seemed to be finished securing the last prisoner, a mix of rope and magical net linking the clones together. They were oddly quiet now that their brother had been silenced, glaring, making Catra uneasy and her hair stand on end. They could be so creepy…</p><p>"We can have Entrapta dig around in their heads," Catra growled,"See how they like it."</p><p> </p><ul>
<li>-      -</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>It was almost nightfall when they reached the outpost. Adora had kept her She-ra form sustained for the duration, both needing to carry the unconscious clone and as a little morale boost for the soldiers stationed here. It was quite the event when <em> the She-ra </em> rolled into camp with a small troop of captured clones in tow. Meeting a walking talking legend made a great story for the kids later. The group handed the prisoners off, letting General Amari take over. The clones would be processed, placed in holding, then transported in the morning to the Fright Zone for Entrapta to examine.</p><p>But for now?</p><p>Netossa and Spinerella slipped off to the second-in-command's tent to have a briefing sent to Queen Glimmer, being the senior members of the Rebellion. Adora only dropped her She-ra form once the last clone was handed off. Catra stood at a distance along the edges of the camp, watching the bustle of Brightmoon forces with a tentative eye, a hand petting along the top of Melog's head to keep him calm. Ok, and maybe to keep herself calm as well. It was strange, being on the other side of things now. Fighting alongside Adora instead of against her. Can't say she minded having the superpowered warrior of myth directing her blade at someone else for a change.</p><p>Adora caught her eye, and made her way over after a brief glance around, a knowing expression on her face as she approached.</p><p>"Hey. Too much noise?" she asked, reaching for Catra's free hand. She didn't take it personally when she bristled for a moment before forcing herself to relax and linked their fingers, nodding wordlessly. Adora smiled, looking back at the camp for a moment before turning her gaze to the nearby hills. With a light tug, Catra followed as she started to lead them away from camp, saying,"Come on. Let's get away for a bit."</p><p>The murmur of camp was slowly replaced by the chirping of crickets in the grass, the babble of a nearby stream floating through the air. Reaching the base of a tall hill, Adora let go of Catra's hand and jogged ahead lightly, saying,"Race you to the top!"</p><p>"No fair!" Catra yelped at the sneaky head-start, and ran forward as Adora broke into a sprint. Catra dropped to all fours as the incline sloped steeper, passing Adora with a delighted cackle. Melog had darted to the top faster than either of them could blink; like his master, he seemed to enjoy showing off when it came to the strange games she participated in. Adora found her balance the closer to the top they got however, and tackled Catra with a laugh.</p><p>They rolled in the grass briefly, coming to a stop sprawled ontop of each other, breathless and giggling.</p><p>"I won," Catra said, shoving Adora out of her lap with a smug grin on her face as she sat up. Sitting up on her knees, Adora feigned indignation, before snorting and insisting,"You did <em> not </em>, it's a tie at best! We both reached the top at the same time!"</p><p>"I hit the ground first, so that means I touched the top first. That means I won."</p><p>"You're impossible."</p><p>"You know you love it."</p><p>Catra's triumphant grin had softened to an unassuming smile, not a single expectation in her eyes when she looked at Adora. No demand for her to be She-ra, no need for her to sacrifice herself for the greater good of Etheria, to clean up the mistakes of a long-gone civilization, made 1000 years ago. </p><p>Adora kissed her under the stars as if she were the most precious thing in the universe. She cradled her face in her hands, fingertips just barely ghosting along her jawline. Her mouth was warm and inviting, still slightly out of breath from their race, and she could feel the smile on her lips where they met and found she was smiling herself, too. Away from the camp, Catra found she was much more relaxed now that it was just her and Adora. Melog curled up nearby of course, a respectable distance to keep in her sense's periphery. </p><p>Catra tipped her head and slipped her arms around Adora's waist, pulling her back up into her lap she had just pushed her out of a moment ago. Adora laughed breathlessly against her, knees framing her thighs as they slotted comfortably together. They had to break apart for air and the chance to properly catch their breath before Adora tried to steal any more kisses. In the meantime, she lifted herself up on her knees to kneel above Catra, leaning forward and pressing her weight into Catra's frame.</p><p>"Hey-- what are you doing-- Adora!" Catra laughed, being forced to tip backwards until she was nearly laying down, pushing against the blond with an arm braced across her chest,"Knock it off, you're too heavy!"</p><p>Adora snorted out a laugh and rolled off of her, laying down on her back beside her in the grass. Her hand was already reaching for Catra's, and she was happy to find hers doing the same. With her free hand, Adroa pointed to the cloudless night sky, drawing Catra's gaze to the stars.</p><p>"Do you think we'll ever get used to seeing these now? Here, on Etheria?" Adora asked, otherwise tracing a constellation with her fingertip, closing one eye tight and sticking her tongue out when she was done asking her question. Catra hummed in thought beside her, staring up at the glittering dots of light in the sea of black and purple. "It's still wild to think… we grew up without ever knowing there were lights in the night. But to then find out they're stars? And to go beyond those, to entirely different planets?"</p><p>"If we hadn't, we never would've found Melog," Catra mused, only partially joking as the small magical being had trotted over and was crawling to lay across Adora's stomach. "But I guess it'll just take time. When something changes, we have to accept the things we can't help and focus on looking forward to what we can actually do."</p><p>"Aww, did you learn that from Perfuma?" Adora asked, and Catra would have been embarrassed, but there wasn't even a hint of teasing in Adora's voice. When Catra turned her head to look, Adora was staring at her with nothing but pride on her face. Proud of <em> her </em>. That made her blush, Catra yanking her hand back out of Adora's grip to fold her arms across her chest and roll up onto her side, back to her.</p><p>"Maybe? Does it matter?" she grumbled, Adora's chuckle behind her like music to her ears. Adora rolled herself over as well, propping up on an elbow, Melog mewling in annoyance at his cozy spot being moved. She scooted closer, pressing along Catra's back, leaning down and kissing her cheek.</p><p>"I'm proud of you, Catra. You're trying so hard and you've come such a long way."</p><p>"Yeah, well, drowning in an electrocuted brainwash pool and being mind-controlled by an evil overlord kinda puts things in perspective," Catra countered, trying to sound standoffish and aloof, but her heart just couldn't commit, a shiver running up her arms that had nothing to do with the evening breeze. </p><p>"Catra…"</p><p>"Don't. I don't regret it, okay? I'd do it again if I had to, it was the only way to keep him from getting to you." Her words were coming faster now, stumbling out of her mouth, and she could faintly register Melog whining slightly as he circled around to her. Catra sat up, her chest feeling tight, the beautiful night sky seeming to fade away around her. "And then you-- you came anyway!"</p><p>"Catra, we couldn't just leave you with him," Adora said, trying to keep her voice even, her heart clenching. She sat up when Catra did, and laid a hand carefully on her shoulder. Catra flinched at the contact, her fur standing up, but a moment later, put her hand atop Adora's to hold it there as she started to try and take deep, gulping breaths. "<em> I </em> couldn't leave you there."</p><p>"... it hurt so much, Adora," Catra admitted through stuttering little gasps, voice thick with building sobs catching in her throat,"It was almost like when Shadoweaver would shock us, but somehow <em> worse </em>." Coupled with the fact that she hated water to begin with, and had had to be fully submerged during the brainwashing, Catra was glad she couldn't remember everything perfectly. Perfuma had said something about the brain reacting to trauma by putting up mental blocks, but kept bits and pieces so you would remember the warning signs of those experiences and hopefully not repeat them. </p><p>Adora moved her hand from Catra's shoulder, and she immediately turned into it when she felt her arm shifting to wrap around her. Catra pushed her face into Adora's chest, a broken sob choking out of her as hot tears spilled over. </p><p>Adora held her for a long time like that; laying back down in the grass at some point, cradling Catra to her chest, arms wrapped tight around her as she clung to her jacket and cried. A hand smoothed her hair back from her face, soothing once she had cried herself to exhaustion. Had minutes passed? Hours? She couldn't tell and she didn't care, eyes feeling puffy and cheeks flushed and stained with tears. She definitely got snot all over the front of Adora's shirt, but that wasn't really something Adora seemed concerned with at the moment.</p><p>Catra had eventually calmed to soft hiccups, breathing as deeply as she could between wet sniffles. She was just so <em> tired </em> now, and her body ached bone-deep with an unidentifiable grief. Adroa broke the silence eventually, voice barely above a whisper,"Do you want to go back to camp? We can get cleaned up and wash the fight from earlier off."</p><p>Catra nodded weakly against her chest, replying muffled into her shirt,"Only if you carry me."</p><p> </p><ul>
<li>-     -</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Adora had a hot bath waiting for her in her tent after eating. She had thought better than to ask Catra to join her, all things considered, but she <em> really </em> needed to wash off. Not to mention the rest of Etheria had done this thing with soap that made it a) smell amazing and b) could bubble up in hot water to make for a very relaxing evening. </p><p>So she was pretty surprised when Catra joined her, plunking down into the bath with an exhausted groan, causing bathwater to slosh over the sides of the large wooden tub. Adora lifted her chin to make room as Catra pushed back against her front, resting her head on her chest again. </p><p>"Catra, are you sure--" she started, only for a clawed hand to lift to interrupt her. </p><p>"Look. I'm… I'm fine. But I'm tired now and want to go to bed but can't do that feeling grody."</p><p>Adroa pursed her lips to keep from chuckling. Catra was rarely one to ask for what she needed, and this was as clear a request she was going to get out of her right now, so she'd have to make due with that.</p><p>"Gotcha," Adora simply hummed, and had Catra sit up and lean forward so she could start to carefully cup water in her hands and begin the process of wetting her hair. It would be faster to just dunk her underwater, but neither of them wanted to explore that particularly traumatic avenue at the moment, so she said nothing. She poured shampoo into her palms next and started to scrub it into Catra's hair, letting the suds bubble up on their own as her fingernails scratched lightly along her scalp. Within minutes she was purring, folding her arms on the edge of the tub and resting her chin on top. </p><p>Adora rinsed her hair with the same amount of painstaking care as wetting it, and with Catra leaned forward, took a bar of soap and rubbed it over her back, two dark orange stripes just peeking out above the water's surface beneath her shoulder blades. The tent was filled with the sound of soft purring and the light slosh of water whenever one of them moved. The camp outside may as well have not existed, the two of them deep in their own little world for the moment.</p><p>Once she was rinsed, Adora could have sworn Catra was asleep as she started to wash herself off, repeating the process of running shampoo through her hair and soap over her skin, but a little more hurriedly now as the water was starting to get cold. But Catra yawned widely, the slope of her shoulders relaxed, the curve of her back sinking slightly deeper into the water where she slumped against the edge of the tub. Adora smiled and leaned forward, startling a squeak out of her as she kissed up the back of her neck, murmuring,"Hey, time to get out and dry off. Don't want you catching a cold if your fur stays wet too long again."</p><p>Catra whined softly, but after a moment, hefted herself up out of the tub, grumbling half-hearted complaints the whole way up until Adora was wrapping her up in the fluffiest towels, one around her middle already. Catra focused on drying her tail while Adora ran a towel through her hair, causing short strands to stick up wildly in every which way, earning a loving laugh out of her. Once they were dry, Adora kissed her cheek before getting dressed in a pair of shorts and tank top to sleep in, Catra throwing on her own shorts and a cropped shirt before blowing out the lights and curling up together under the covers.</p><p>Melog jumped up to lay down at the foot of the bed while the two women got comfortable, easy enough of a task on the Brightmoon "cot". Their bunks in the Horde had been way smaller and they made it work then, so finding a comfortable position was a walk in the park. Adora was just beginning to fall asleep when she felt Catra inhale deeply through her nose, and lift her head up, and she could feel her peeking up at her through the dark.</p><p>"Thank you," Catra said, and leaned up to ghost a goodnight kiss across her lips before settling back down in her arms again. Adora smiled, and gave a gentle squeeze, kissing the top of her head in response and saying,"Whenever you need me, I'm here for you."</p><p>They fell asleep wrapped up in one another, minds a bit clearer and hearts that much lighter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As I'm writing these chapters I'm finding it would be helpful if I had someone to bounce ideas off of. Feedback is appreciated, and if you'd like to chat more about She-ra or the story, please let me know!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Letting Off Steam</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mermista has some things she'd like to say. Adora gets handsy. The Best Friend Squad are way too comfortable with each other.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Typically, Princess Alliance meetings were held in Brightmoon. Being more or less the closest kingdom to the other Princesses, it had sort of become the default convening location. The war room with its holographic map of Etheria, and having been the original base of operations for the first Rebellion, and the group had fallen into the convenience. Gathered there now, Adora settled into her usual seat next to Bow, with Glimmer at the head of the table as the other Princesses had seemed to have arrived before them. Several scrolls and parchment were splayed out over the table’s surface, various reports and maps unfurled for all to see in front of Glimmer. Adora gave a smile and a wave to Scorpia, catching her eye where she was sitting next to Perfuma, in the middle of talking about the process of deciding what Horde structures to demolish and which ones would simply be easier to repurpose in the Fright Zone.</p><p>“Are you going to keep calling it that?” Perfuma asked, twirling a loose lock of sandy blonde hair around her finger, leaning her chin in her other hand propped up on the war table.<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe? I mean, I’ve never really thought about it. This whole ‘being a Princess’ thing is still kinda new,” Scorpia chuckled, rubbing the back of her head with a large pincer. Adora turned her attention to the head of the table again, to where Mermista stepped up beside Glimmer and spoke something in her ear with a roll of her eyes and a sigh.<br/>
<br/>
Glimmer straightened and called attention with a clap of her hands, saying,”Right, so, let’s get this meeting started.”<br/>
<br/>
Frosta sat up a bit straighter from where she had been piling miniature ice figurines that held a suspicious likeness to the other gathered monarchs. Glimmer swiped a finger over the console on the table in front of her chair, bringing up the holographic map of Etheria, and with a few more pokes and prods, brought the current layout of Salineas up on the board. The Sea Gate stood, fractured, front and center.<br/>
<br/>
“Mermista?” Glimmer handed off the reigns of the meeting to her, who sighed again and started.<br/>
<br/>
“Right, so like, after we finished flushing out the Horde’s forces, we had to start rebuilding the Sea Gate first and foremost before we could even tackle the rest of the kingdom. Getting our defenses back up is our first priority,” Mermista explained, zooming in on the projection of the Sea Gate on the table before zooming back out. “Even with Salineas forces reinstated, we’re still lacking in manpower. When the Sea Gate fell from Hordak’s weapon, my men were overwhelmed without me there to help them.”<br/>
<br/>
Pausing, Mermista glanced up as the double doors to the war room opened, and visibly bristled as Catra strolled in, Melog trailing at her side languidly. Adora turned her head to see, and flashed her a grin. An unseen tension wove through the room as Catra hopped up and sat on the edge of the table to listen, seeming to be just as unaware as Adora of the questioning looks thrown Glimmer’s way upon her arrival. </p><p>“What is <em> she </em> doing here? She’s not a Princess,” Mermista said, arching a brow at Catra, whose brows drew together in confusion.<br/>
<br/>
“What? I’m a part of your little Rebellion now, aren’t I?” Catra asked, folding her arms across her chest as her tail swished irritatedly back and forth. Mermista dragged a hand down her face before she just groaned and waved her off.<br/>
<br/>
“Whatever, stay for all I care,” Mermista said with another roll of her eyes, and rotated the projection of the Sea Gate to point out several breaches at the base, connected to the ocean. “After we managed to drive back the Horde forces occupying Salineas, pirates started popping up to scavenge and interrupt ships trying to bring us supplies we like, desperately need.”</p><p>“Can’t you just use She-ra to fix the Gate again?” Scorpia suggested, gesturing to where Adora sat.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s what I’m getting at,” Mermista replied with a slight tensing of her shoulders,”But we need extra forces to keep a lookout while she does it in case any more pirates show up to try and stop her. It’ll take longer than the first time the Sea Gate was damaged, considering it completely fell this time. No thanks to certain present company…”<br/>
<br/>
She shot a pointed look at Catra, who shrunk slightly under her accusing glare, before quickly puffing up defiantly. Adora glanced between the two of them uncomfortably, quickly looking around the table and finding the other Princesses weren’t very keen to jump in here.<br/>
<br/>
“I was under Hordak’s orders, he’s not exactly someone you say ‘no’ to,” Catra quickly defended herself, and Adora inwardly groaned.<br/>
<br/>
“You still <em> helped </em> him. Wasn’t it your idea to take Salineas in the first place?” Mermista quickly countered, daring her to deny it. The fur along Catra’s shoulders bristled, and she stood up from her perch on the edge of the table, the two of them glaring across the table at each other, seeming to forget the rest of the room was there.<br/>
<br/>
“ <em> You </em> were the one who left it undefended!” Catra countered, ignoring the warning signs as Mermista’s usually aloof and passive-aggressive demeanor was growing more and more agitated.<br/>
<br/>
“And <em> you </em> were the one who decided to attack it!” she yelled back, slamming a fist on the table, causing the hologram to fizzle. “Instead of just leaving the Horde when things got bad, you stayed and made things worse for everyone else! Adora left! Hell, <em> Scorpia </em> left! Because of you!”<br/>
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Scorpia waved her claws back and forth in front of herself, starting,”H-Hey, Catra was in a really bad place…” But petered out, finding it hard to bring herself to try and defend her.</p><p>“I couldn’t just <em> leave </em>! I’m not them!” Catra hissed, moving to meet Mermista half way as they went around the table to approach each other, Frosta’s seat the only thing between them now.</p><p>“You didn’t want to leave. You <em> liked </em> ruining everyone else’s lives, didn’t you? That’s the real reason you stuck around. If you hadn’t, Salineas would have never fallen!” </p><p>Catra opened her mouth to spit back a response, but the two of them were suddenly shoved apart by a pillar of ice between them. Frosta was standing from her seat, a deep frown on her face, shooting a pointed look at Glimmer to get this under control.<br/>
<br/>
“Right. Both of you, out,” Glimmer quickly said, pointing to the door,”We’re going to pause the meeting here while you go cool off.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine!” Catra growled, turning on her heel. She took a swipe at the pillar that had pushed her back, throwing chunks of shattered ice across the floor before stomping out of the room as Mermista glared at her retreating back, grumbling,”Yeah, run away. It’s what you’re good at…”</p><p>Adora flinched as the double doors slammed shut as Catra left, sighing heavily as she stood to follow. Looking back at Mermista, she asked,”Do you think you could… I dunno, maybe cut her some slack? I’m not saying what she did was right, but she helped us take down Horde Prime! Without her, Etheria would be gone right now. There wouldn’t even be a Salineas to rebuild.”<br/>
<br/>
Mermista pointed at Adora with a glare, saying,”No way. Uh uh. Just because she helped us, doesn’t mean I have to like her, or forgive her for what she’s done to my kingdom. You can all pretend to be buddy-buddy with her if you want, but she still helped the Horde for so long. Besides, you’re only saying that because she’s your girlfriend now; we all know you were just as done making up excuses for her as the rest of us after that portal business. ” </p><p>Adora shut her mouth, lips pursing before she sighed,”I’m gonna go check on her…”<br/>
<br/>
Exiting the war room, it didn’t take long for Adora to find Catra, perched on the edge of a window overlooking the outside of the castle. She was stroking Melog, curled up in her lap, and if her agitation wasn’t already clear enough, his semi-translucent fur was spiked and red, even with her touch smoothing over it. Adora could see Catra was taking deep breaths as she approached, glaring out the window, defiant, but a hint of regret was bleeding into her expression.<br/>
<br/>
“What? You come to tell me Mermista’s right?” Catra growled without turning her head, Adora stopping a few paces short. Melog gave a small hiss from his place in her lap, her hand stilling through his mane. Adora knew Catra was simply lashing out, anger and frustration bubbling past the surface, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when it was directed her way. </p><p>“Catra…” Adora started, taking a deep breath to keep herself from getting frustrated as well,”I’m sure if you just give Mermista some time, she’ll come around. But what you did… It hurt a lot of people.”</p><p>“I know that!” Catra huffed out,”But I’ve been trying to make up for it! What else do I have to do? When will it be enough for her?”</p><p>“... it might never be good enough,” Adora said carefully, attempting to navigate this conversation akin to walking on eggshells,”She’s allowed to be angry, and Mermista isn’t obligated to forgive you. Have you tried apologizing to her directly?”</p><p>“Well… no, but I don’t think she’ll wanna hear it,” Catra relented, the raised fur along her shoulders slowly flattening. Melog gave a low whine, pushing his face underneath Catra’s hand. </p><p>A commotion down the hallway pulled their attention from one another, Adora turning around to see Mermista marching towards them with fists clenched at her sides, Scorpia seeming to be trying to reason with her, trailing after her hurriedly, saying,”Now, Mermista, I know Catra’s done a lot of bad stuff, but she’s really been trying to make up for it, and--”<br/>
<br/>
Mermista raised a hand to silence her without looking back. Adora moved to stand between her and Catra, having a bad feeling about this.<br/>
<br/>
“Adora, move,” Mermista said, her typically bored voice coming out agitated,”I just want to have a little chat with your girlfriend outside.”</p><p>Outside? In the gardens? With dozens of Brightmoon’s excessive amount of water fountains? Adora glanced back over her shoulder at Catra, who had defaulted to a standoffish posture, glaring right back at Mermista.<br/>
<br/>
“Mermista, I don’t think--” Adora started, only for Catra to leap up and say,”You don’t have to defend me, Adora. I can take care of this myself.” A small smirk pulled at the edges of Mermista’s mouth, and she gestured down the hall wordlessly towards the path outside. </p><p>“Princesses first,” Catra said with a smug look of her own, causing Mermista to roll her eyes, but the monarch turned and led the way outside, Catra following with her chin held high. Adora and Scorpia looked to one another in disbelief for a moment, before they both scrambled after the two, objections falling on deaf ears.</p><p>Standing outside in the middle of the garden courtyard, Catra folded her arms across her chest, starting,”Well? You obviously have some stuff you wanna say, so let’s just get it over with already--”<br/>
<br/>
She yelped, avoiding the torrent of water launched her way as Mermista growled at her tone of voice, yelling,”You’re not even sorry for what you did!”</p><p>Adora stepped forward to intervene, only for a slash of water to cut through the dirt at her feet, making her jump back. The other Princesses filed out of the castle to join them in the courtyard, taking in the spectacle as the two started to clash with varying degrees of worry. They wouldn’t actually hurt each other, would they? Catra ducked under another jet of water, before gritting her teeth and launching herself forward, forcing Mermista to backstep to avoid two swift swipes at her midsection. She called up a wave from underneath, the blow landing square in Catra’s middle and launching her skyward. She landed in a nearby tree, clinging to the branch, only for Mermista to cut a swathe across the tree trunk and cause it to start falling over. Catra leapt down, Melog racing to her side, a protective veil of invisibility pulling Catra from her line of sight.</p><p>“I… Is this ok? Glimmer, can’t you stop them?” Adora asked, turning to look to her friend, grabbing her shoulders with a pleading tone of voice. Glimmer sucked in air between her teeth, wincing, saying,”I really don’t want to get in the middle of that. I think this is something those two need to work out for themselves.”<br/>
<br/>
Perfuma stepped up along the sidelines, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard over the sound of their fighting,”Catra! Remain calm! Remember your deep breathing exercises!”<br/>
<br/>
“Rrrghh, not now, Perfuma!” Catra called back as she reappeared behind Mermista, tackling her from behind into the grass. Mermista hit the ground with a huff, turning over underneath her and taking a swing at her head. Catra blocked it with her forearm, only for the water she had been directing with the motion to follow through and knock her aside. Mermista scrambled to her feet, marching to stand over her, panting. Catra sat up with a groan, breathing just as heavily, water dripping from her soaked hair into her eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“Why?!” Mermista demanded, lifting an orb of water over her head, holding it there,”Tell me why you did it!”</p><p>Backed into a corner with nowhere to run, both literally and figuratively, only then did Catra break.<br/>
<br/>
“Because I was finally good at something!” she yelled, shame making her face hot,”I was finally getting the approval I’d been chasing all my life! Helping Hordak take Salineas… he was finally acknowledging that I was an asset and not a burden, after all my hard work. I’m sorry, ok? I know that doesn’t make what I did right, I know it can’t erase what I did, but I’m sorry!”<br/>
<br/>
Mermista froze, and after a few tense moments, took a deep breath, and lowered her hand. The water gathered splashed harmlessly to the ground, and her shoulders slumped, suddenly looking very tired. Tired of fighting. The war was over, after all. Shouldn’t she be happy? Why couldn’t she be happy? </p><p>Because she was still stuck cleaning up the Horde’s mess. </p><p>Catra’s mess. </p><p>“I… I know it probably doesn’t mean much, coming from me. But, if you’ll let me, I’ll do whatever you need me to do to help fix the Sea Gate. And to help restore Salineas to how it was before,” Catra added, unable to keep from recognizing the exhaustion Mermista carried in her frame. Even with the war over, the battle won, it was hard imagining what returning to a normal life would even look like. Continuing to deal with that aftermath just made things even harder, made the road to “normal” feel even longer. </p><p>Mermista seemed to chew on the offer, before she clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Looking away, she offered a hand down to Catra, saying,”Whatever. Fine. You can help. But don’t think this means you’re off the hook.”<br/>
<br/>
Adora heaved a sigh of relief when Catra took her hand and stood, glad the fight was over. For now, anyway. Frosta was less than enthused, grumbling quietly,”It’s over already? Lame…” and kicking loosely at the dirt at her feet. She watched with a light smile as Catra shook her hair out, scattering droplets of water around herself as the two moved to rejoin the group, Melog trailing tentatively behind.<br/>
<br/>
“You get it out of your system?” Glimmer asked, folding her arms across her chest and arching a brow. Mermista just shrugged, saying,”Sure? Like for now, I guess.”<br/>
<br/>
Running a hand back through her hair, Glimmer had to take a deep breath of her own, saying,”Right. I’ll get the guards to clean this up… and we can resume our meeting now?”<br/>
<br/>
“You guys go ahead. I’m gonna go… dry off,” Catra sighed, but otherwise didn’t complain. As they began to file back inside the castle, Adora lingered behind, before opting to stay altogether. Catra stared at her, seeming to be waiting for her to say something, but Adora just smiled patiently at her before the other girl rolled her eyes and gestured for her to follow.<br/>
<br/>
They headed back to their room, Adora going for the towels in the wardrobe. Catra sat down on the stool at the vanity, scratching behind Melog’s ears as he took his place on the floor in front of her, resting his head on her lap. Catra grimaced, feeling the wetness from her fur and clothes seeping into the cushion of her seat, but relaxed once Adroa started to run the towel over her hair, careful not to flip her ears.<br/>
<br/>
“Alright. What? You’ve had that stupid grin on your face for like five minutes now,” Catra eventually grumbled, looking at Adora in the vanity’s mirror, frowning. Adora just shook her head, saying,”Nothing. I’m just proud of you.” Catra’s frown deepened, and she looked away, but she could see a warm blush coloring her cheeks in the reflection. Once she was done with her hair, Adora laid the towel around her shoulders, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.<br/>
<br/>
“Blech. You’re being gross,” Catra huffed, shaking her head out from underneath her. Adora laughed, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as she tried to lean away. Catra squirmed, reaching a hand back and shoving her face, only for Adora to duck around it and pepper her cheek with wet kisses. Catra bristled, trying to turn around in the stool, growling,”I’m still wet! You’re not helping!”</p><p>“Who said anything about helping?” Adora countered with a snort, wrestling with the struggling woman in her arms until Catra was standing and shoving her back, stumbling into each other clumsily. Falling to the floor underneath her, Adora laughed when Catra leaned down and licked the side of her face, saying,”<em> Now </em> who’s being gross?” Straddling her waist, Catra held both of Adora’s wrists in her hands loosely, the clawed ends of her fingers resting over each racing pulse point. Adora sat up, using Catra’s weight and her own strength to do so, more than happy to kiss the surprised look off her face. Feeling her grip relax, Adora shifted her touch, interlacing their fingers, palm to palm when she pulled back.<br/>
<br/>
“Shouldn’t you get back to the meeting?” Catra asked, keeping up a confident front, but Adora could see the way she glanced down at their linked hands, the flicker of her eyes across her lips, the slight pull of hesitation in her otherwise cocky smirk. Adora drank in the look on her face, recognizing the want she found there, certain her own expression mirrored it. </p><p>“The meeting isn’t going anywhere,” Adora said with a soft smile, leaning up to kiss her again. What she wanted was to stay here, with her, in their room away from everyone else and their prying eyes. Without the fate of the universe resting on her shoulders anymore, Adora found it a little bit easier to try and balance work and play, and right now? There was nowhere else she’d rather be. Even if Catra’s damp fur was soaking into her shirt and pants. </p><p>She scooted back so her back was against the bed, dragging Catra in her lap with her, earning a squealing laugh from the other woman as she hooked an arm around her middle to make sure she didn’t slide off. When she kissed Catra again, she was still laughing into the embrace, and Adora felt her heart warm at the sound, the feel of the curve of her mouth against her lips sending a pleased thrill down her spine. Adora let her hands roam now that they were seated more comfortably, sliding along the sides of Catra’s hips, dancing up her ribcage, framing her with her touch. </p><p>She loved the way she could hear Catra’s breath hitch in her throat, how she pressed just a little bit closer when she tipped her head to deepen the kiss. Adora parted her lips against hers, tongue teasing into her mouth met with a soft moan. She started to idly slide her thumbs back and forth over the swell of her hip, calloused fingertips dragging along the hem of her damp top, nudging the material up inch by inch until it was halfway up her stomach. Adora pushed a palm between them, scraping over the peach fuzz of her fur on her abdomen, careful not to tickle her since she knew how sensitive Catra’s belly was.</p><p>Catra broke the kiss to catch her breath, squirming in her lap for an entirely different reason now. Her arms draped over Adora’s shoulders, clawed fingers clutching onto the bed’s comforter to ground herself in the moment, really feeling Adora’s touch, hyperaware. Adora occupied her mouth with the side of her neck, Catra leaning her head in the opposite direction to give her more room to work with. Then Adora bit down, and Catra nearly melted, groaning out, mouth hanging open in mild surprise at the bold move. She blushed hard at the sound she had made, but Adora was too preoccupied trailing softer bites along the underside of her jaw, the uncovered skin and fur above her top’s neckline. It was almost overwhelming, between that and the way both hands were now under her shirt, creeping higher to find the elastic band of her undershirt just beneath the line of her breast. </p><p>Adroa grinned inwardly to herself, reveling in feeling Catra sink against her lap, almost seeming like she was trying to push herself into her hands, fill her palms with her. </p><p>“Can I take this off?” Adora asked, leaning back far enough to look Catra in the eye, a healthy red tint on her own cheeks betraying her excitement. She bit her own lower lip, tentative, hoping. Catra’s eyes were wide, pupils blown out and wine-dark, and she visibly gulped before lifting her arms up, huffing,”Sure, go ahead,” obviously trying to sound calm and collected. Adora peeled the shirt off above Catra’s head, letting it fall to the side in a heap, and wrapped her arms around her now mostly exposed torso in a brief hug. She buried her face in the soft tufts of fur on her chest, the unique smell of Catra filling her nose, slightly damp still. Catra’s fingers slid through her hair, nails pulling strands from her ponytail loose.</p><p>Adora circled her touch back to her front, following the hard line of Catra’s stomach up to her chest, hesitating for just a moment before groping the soft mounds there. There was no missing the way Catra gasped, ragged and wanting, relief at the touch wisping into her breath. Adora kissed reverently across her collarbones, curiously dragging her thumbs across hardening peaks and earning a low groan.</p><p>“A-Adora,” Catra whined, simply speaking her name like a prayer, stroking her ego and bolstering her confidence. The way her breathing stuttered, how she shivered when Adora gave a light squeeze, it just made her want <em> more </em>. Would that be okay? Could she touch her more? Would she like it? Adora paused, one hand thumbing the elastic band of her remaining cover.</p><p>“Catra, do you--” she started, only for the two of them to nearly shoot to the ceiling in shock as a loud knock sounded on the bedroom door. </p><p>“Adora? Are you in there? Glimmer wants to talk about posting She-Ra at the Sea Gate for repairs, figured you might want to be there for that part…”<br/>
<br/>
Bow’s uncertain voice drifted in from the other side of the closed door. Once her heart felt like it stopped trying to leap out of her throat, Adora swallowed hard once and called back,”Ah, y-yep! Just a sec, I’ll be right down! Just um, giving Catra a hand drying off!”</p><p>How long had they been gone? It wasn’t as if she’d been keeping track of time! And just like that, Catra was scrambling out of her lap, getting to her feet and folding her arms over her front to cover her chest. Adora was quick to get up as well, trying to smooth her hair back down and hopefully school the blush on her face to an acceptable level. She covered her face with her hands for a moment, a silent scream of frustration as she took a deep breath in through her nose before she gave herself a shake. Straightening her jacket, she looked to Catra, who was glaring daggers at the bedroom door that Bow was no doubt just waiting on the other side of. </p><p>Smiling apologetically, she placed a quick kiss on her cheek, saying,”Hopefully it doesn’t take long?” Catra snorted in disbelief, rolling her eyes, grumbling,”Whatever. It’s fine-- I want to finish actually drying off anyway.” She was obviously very irritated at being interrupted; Adora would have to come up with some way to make it up to her later. Catra stalked over to the wardrobe to pick out something dry to wear, and Adora stole one more look at her back, noting her tail flicked side to side in annoyance, before ducking out of the room.</p><p>“Sorry, did I uh-- did I interrupt something?” Bow asked, wringing his hands together once Adora had stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind herself. </p><p>“What? No? No! Not at all, just, um-- I mean, how do I know I’m not interrupting you? Uh--” Adora started, the tips of her ears quickly going bright red at the utter nonsense coming out of her mouth. “You said meeting? She-Ra? Sea Gate, right? Let’s just hurry to that, yeah!” Linking arms with Bow, he yelped in surprise when she pulled him along, leading the way down the hall.</p><p>“Um, Adora, the war room’s the other way-- ayyy!” </p><p>She yanked him again, turning right back around, belting out a too-loud and awkward laugh, saying,”Yup! Right! I know where the war room is, we’re good! This is gonna be great!” </p><p>Adora had a very difficult time keeping her focus once they had made it back to the meeting, the gathered Princesses settling on a plan. They would each deploy what forces they could spare to act as a vanguard to protect Salineas and She-Ra while she would repair the Sea Gate. Like Mermista had said, it would take longer to fix it than it had the first time, but Entrapta had developed some tech to help with strengthening the remaining First Ones infrastructure. It would (<em> should </em>) help bolster the existing connection to Mermista’s Runestone and expedite repairs. That should cover the magical side of things, but there was still the physical aspect in play. </p><p>They needed boots on the ground and all hands on deck just to get scaffolding erected, let alone start assessing what even needed to be rebuilt. With the extra forces from each kingdom, Mermista should be able to get enough of Salineas’ remaining craftsmen on the job. Having Entrapta there to examine the gate would tell them whatever they need, and as promised, Catra would acquire any materials necessary. She’d been pretty damn good at finding obscure items and tech for Entrapta and her projects before, so doing it for a good cause for once was a nice change of pace. </p><p>With the meeting adjourning several hours later, the other Princesses would retire to their own kingdoms, leaving with brief goodbyes and wide yawns, the evening sunset starting to dip below the horizon. Catra had finally rejoined them for the send-off, and Adora couldn’t help but chuckle to herself when Scorpia lifted her up bodily in a firm hug, wishing her well, watching the way her tail fluffed up before she relaxed into it. Entrpta had her nose buried in her tracker pad, one large pigtail sweeping through the air in a parting wave. </p><p>Bow stayed for dinner that evening and had no sweet clue why Catra was glaring at him nearly the entire meal. Micah was oblivious to it of course, excitedly asking Glimmer for a recounting of the day's events, having been pulled away to Mystacor all afternoon. He was especially curious as to why one of the gardens were so torn up. Catra sunk into her chair slightly, Glimmer glancing in her direction before flashing her a reassuring smile, saying,"We all decided to let off some steam with a bit of light sparring, and things got messy. Nobody was hurt though Dad, and the only real casualty was a tree." </p><p>Adora felt Catra relax when she reached under the table for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. Micah wasn't Shadow Weaver-- even if Glimmer told the whole truth, he wouldn't get mad and yell and throw things, or use his magic to restrain them. But that fear of reprimand from an authority figure wasn't exactly easy to shake. Just because she was gone didn't mean her "lessons" had left them. Glimmer just didn't want to embarrass Catra, knowing she was sensitive about her past deeds, and the consequences for those actions catching up to her wasn't always the prettiest. </p><p>Bow looked like he was about to jump into the conversation when Catra went right back to throwing him the dirtiest looks, catching his eye and making him look to Adora pleasingly. Mouthing "what did I do?" , Adora just shrugged in response and continued to load up her plate. She was staying out of all of this by keeping busy with dinner, already on her second helping. </p><p>Once everyone had eaten their fill, Micah retreated to his study for the time being, and Glimmer insisted the four of them hang out for a while, unrelated to any work talk or Rebellion business. It was a snap to grab her friends before they had the chance to object and teleport them to her room.</p><p>"It's getting kind of late though, isn't it?" Catra mused, slinking over to the reading nook at Glimmer's window, flipping down onto the soft cushions with a smirk,"Shouldn't Arrow Boy start heading home soon?"</p><p>"I can stay the night, it's not like I haven't slept over millions of times before," Bow countered with an arched brow, seeing Catra's bait from a mile away. "In fact, why don't we make a sleepover out of it?"</p><p>Adora perked up slightly where she leaned on the doorframe, trying not to laugh at Catra's frustrated expression that he wasn't letting her antagonize him the way she wanted. </p><p>"That sounds like so much fun!" Glimmer agreed, porting up to her suspended bed and grabbing a large armful of cushions, blinking them down to the floor. Bow was already going for the spare comforter in the walk-in closet, Adora quickly joining him to snatch the roll-out futons, tossing them down to join the pillows in a heap. Catra stared at the three of them incredulously, Melog materializing at her side with a wide yawn.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll grab snacks!” Glimmer said with a clap of her hands,”Be right back!” And with yet another pop of sparkles, disappeared from the room as Adora and Bow started to organize the sleeping area, shoving pillows and blankets this way and that to get it in an acceptable pile to sleep ontop of. Adora kicked off her boots and shed her jacket, flopping backwards onto the makeshift bedding, exhaling a happy sigh as Bow quickly followed suit. Catra laughed from her perch before getting to her feet, slinking over to join them, sprawling out on her stomach just as Glimmer returned moments later, arms loaded with bags of snacks snatched from the kitchen. </p><p>The quartet of young rebels wasted no time tearing into the goodies, passing food back and forth, laughing and talking late into the night before sleep would eventually claim them, one by one, curled up in a pile of limbs and snoring.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those of you interested, my tumblr is TacitcalChokehold. I post art and fandom stuff there as well as chapter update notifications, and just recently finished a silly little vine animatic lol. Writing this chapter proved to be a little trickier than the others, the nitty gritty of post-war Etheria potentially being really depressing despite all the magic and lush nature? Trying to keep the tone of the fic light, but I also HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS NOELLE. Also rq I see the Best Friend Squad as young adults? Please don't read this with the idea that they're kids or teens ty</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Cause for Celebration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gang works to repair the Sea Gate. Catra has a panic attack. Adora is the lightest of lightweights.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The morning after the Best Friend Squad sleepover was spent preparing and departing for Salineas. Catra had only been mildly annoyed by the fact that sleeping in a pile like they had meant she wasn’t able to pick up where she and Adora had left off before Bow’s interruption yesterday, but the comforting sounds of communal sleeping had quickly made up for that. It warmed her heart in a way entirely different from feeling Adora’s mouth on her neck, hands exploring her chest. The memory shot heat to the tips of her ears as she packed, glancing across the room to Adora shoving a change of clothes into her bag as she chatted away with Glimmer excitedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As nauseating as it could be, Catra was thankful for the current Queen of Brightmoon’s teleportation abilities -- it meant they could at least travel to their destination without needing to depart across the waters on a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boat</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once everyone was ready, they stood in a circle in the center of the room, linking hands with one another, before Glimmer flashed Catra an apologetic smile. In a blink, they were teleporting in bursts of sparkles and magic; Glimmer’s enhanced power was strong, but it would still take a couple of ports at least to traverse all the way to Salineas, to a boat dispatched the night before to receive them, anchored at the base of the Sea Gate. Sailors and soldiers alike startled at their arrival, and Catra recognized both Salineas and Brightmoon colors on those who were uniformed. She didn’t miss the dirty looks shot her way from the former’s men, releasing Adora and Bow’s hands and taking a tentative step back, shoulders rising as she sunk into herself somewhat. Melog bumped her hip with his head, rumbling low in his throat, meowing to her a reassurance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ground crew greeting them quickly pulled Adora and Glimmer aside to brief them, leaving her with Bow and a growing sense that she shouldn’t be here. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You alright?” Bow asked, voice cutting through the ringing noise in her ears as tension wound its way through her frame,”You look like you’re about to bolt.” Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Catra shook her head.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sorry. Just… last time I was here, it wasn’t exactly for the right reasons. I’m sure Mermista’s men aren’t exactly thrilled with me helping right now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling out his tracker pad, Bow gestured for her to follow, saying,”Well, you’re here now. Not much they can do about that. Let’s just go see what Entrapta needs, and work our way forward from there.” Pausing, he glanced up at the Sea Gate, then back down to Catra, lips pressed in a hard line as he contemplated saying something she probably had already told herself a million times over in her head. The translucent projected barrier of the Gate fizzled and popped, the magical sheet of protection punctured in large swathes. Multiple boats in the harbor, including theirs, were docked as close as they could get, having laid down scaffolding and temporary bridges to access the gate by foot. It towered over the gathered ships, the daunting task of repairing it seeming insurmountable at first glance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re here! Great!” Entrapta’s delighted voice greeted them as they ducked into the main cabin of the boat, the inside littered with tech. Tables held glowing monitors, running multiple diagrams and formulas that Catra recognized as Entrapta’s work but wouldn’t be able to tell you heads or tails of it. The hum of the screens was a welcome, almost familiar distraction from the bustle on the main deck above. Entrapta rolled over to the two of them on a chair, her own tracker pad in her lap and a data recorder grasped between two locks of hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra nearly launched herself across the lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing here?!” she snarled, pointing a clawed finger past Entrapta to Hordak. He stood with his back partially turned to them, hunched over a table, prongs in both hands picking away at the circuitry of an open panel disassembled on the surface. Melog growled, bright red mane spiking high, and even Bow cautiously drew his bow but hesitated on nocking an arrow, jaw set tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s my lab partner,” Entrapta insisted, not entirely oblivious to their hostility as she stood up from her chair and made a placating gesture with her hands,”Mermista already knows he’s here. She’s not happy about it either, but I explained we’ll be able to get the Gate back up and running much faster if I had experienced assistance. Hordak won’t leave this lab while we’re here, and he’s the only one familiar with my work who can keep up with modifying First Ones tech!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra barely heard her. The rest of the lab around them felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. Bow spoke next, but he sounded as if his voice was coming from a long, underwater tunnel. She reached a hand back, gripping shaking fingers through a warm red mane, Melog’s hackles raised and baring his teeth in a snarl. The entire time, Hordak never looked at them, never paused from his work. But she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was listening, the slight lowering of pointed white ears and stiffening of shoulders giving him away. Her breathing was coming in sharp and shallow now, too many things to say coming to mind but none of them making it past the constricted feeling in her throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gritting sharp teeth, she turned on her heel and stomped out of the lab, throwing the door open with a scowl. If looks could kill. She went to the edge of the main deck, gripping the handrail, the metal groaning under her fists as her tail lashed behind her. The salty ocean air did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves, and her quickened breaths showed no signs of slowing, making her feel lightheaded as red lined her vision. A hand laid on her shoulder and she snapped, swinging around with a swipe at whoever dared touch her right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow ducked, having kind of been expecting it but unsure how to get her attention otherwise as he had been saying her name for the past two minutes. The other workers on the ship were giving the two of them a wide berth -- the irritated red magicat growling at anyone who got too close made sure of that -- but he’d let Bow pass after a quick pat on the head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The sooner we get this done,” he said after chewing on the words, nearly spitting them out,”The sooner they leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one pissed about this situation. She had never seen Bow angry herself, but the dented brow and tight muscles of his neck was almost reassuring, knowing it wasn’t directed at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waving his tracker pad, he said,”I’ve got a list of supplies Entrapta needs us to get.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll get it myself,” Catra growled, snatching the device from his hands. Frowning, Bow folded his arms across his chest, countering,”It’s not safe to go it alone. Remember, Mermista said there’s been attacks in these waters since the Gate fell, even after Prime was taken out. Besides, you’re not the only one who’d really rather not be on the same ship as Hordak right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As badly as she wanted to be alone, that sent a pang of understanding through her chest. Finally releasing her other hand from the handrail, leaving behind a handprint of crushed metal, she ran her other back through her hair in a smoothing motion to try and calm her nerves, keyed up to eleven. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are Adora and Glimmer doing?” she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers as she already felt exhausted, and they hadn’t even started their little scavenger hunt yet. Bow pointed to an outcropping of rocks high up along the cliffside of the gate, past the bow of the ship, She-Ra standing in her full resplendent glory. Long golden hair whipped in the wind from being so high up, but she was unmoved otherwise, holding her sword at her side with one hand and the other pressed to a damaged portion of the gate, bright white glow of her aura concentrated on that connecting point, pouring out in ripples across the screen of magic. It almost looked like she was dropping a pebble in a pond, and had an ocean left to cover. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer is going to stay to command Brightmoon forces in case of another attack. She’ll call my tracker pad in case anything happens or she needs us to come back,” he quickly added, seeing Catra’s hands clench at the idea of there being a fight. If Adora was going to be in battle, she wanted to be there with her, alongside her, watching her back. But she had told Mermista she would do whatever it took to get the Gate repaired. If that meant fetching obscure materials for their resident genius, she would have to suck it up and deal with it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. How long do you think it’ll take?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>- </span>
  
  <span>-</span>
  
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A week later, Catra had run herself ragged. Expeditions late into the night, hunting down vaguely described tech, and transporting materials without the use of Glimmer’s teleportation was starting to get to her. Her entire body ached in a way she hadn’t felt since Horde basic training. It was bone-deep, exhausting down from the top of her ears to the tips of her toes. Her emotional batteries were pretty drained as well; she’d barely been able to spend any time with Adora at all, only able to find bliss in quiet moments when She-Ra was given a break long enough to eat and sleep. She could see that Adora was tired too, dark shadows under her eyes and sunburnt cheeks from hours under the sun, pouring magic into the Sea Gate. Her magic. Sure, Etheria had its own; Entrapta was building a device to redirect energy from the world around them into the Gate to bolster the repair efforts. But Adora’s magic came from within. She didn’t draw on any outside source, not since breaking the Sword of Power. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them sat side by side on a crate of supplies on the ship, shoveling the evening’s meal down quickly. Growing up in the Horde meant you ate fast, a habit neither of them had ever gotten around to really breaking, but the option to fetch seconds was more than welcome. Catra looked across the deck of the ship, out to the Sea Gate, watching Entrapta direct the muscle in installing a large contraption she and Hordak had been constructing in the lab. Thankfully, he had kept to his word, and as long as she stayed out of the work space, she hadn’t had to look at his face since.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun was just starting to set, painting the surrounding waters a deep golden orange, when Adora leaned into Catra’s shoulder, pressing her weight along her side and sinking against her frame. Turning her head, Adora buried her face against the side of her neck, groaning out,”This is all taking longer than I thought it would.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling lightly, Catra set aside her empty wooden bowl, adjusting to turn herself towards Adora and better accommodate her desire to mope, apparently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we knew it wouldn’t be a quick job,” Catra mused, leaning on one arm, lifting the other to card fingers through tousled blond hair, stray locks loose from Adora’s ponytail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why can’t anything ever be easy for us?” The complaint was surprising to hear coming from Adora, of all people, who often thoughtlessly took on others’ burdens without a moment’s hesitation. Always determined to shoulder the weight of responsibility, it was refreshing to hear her sigh and pout. Catra’s tail wound its way across her back, settling around her waist comfortably. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer had been just as stuck apart, and don’t even start about the four of them finding time together. It was practically impossible, but at least the Gate was looking much healthier than when they’d first arrived. Large patches had been sealed, the sickly red pallor left behind by Hordak’s weapon long since washed away to a healthy blue hue. Mermista had made it obvious she took no pleasure in his aid, shooting glares at the lab whenever she stopped by the Brightmoon vessel to check in. She was otherwise confined to her throne room, keeping watch over her Runestone to ensure the power supply and connection between it and the Gate remained uninterrupted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ultimately, Catra didn’t have an answer. She drew in a deep breath, heaving a heavy sigh of her own, opening her mouth to offer reassuring words to Adora when a call from above drew her eyes to the horizon.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Approaching vessels!!” the sailor perched up in the crow’s nest hollered down. At the stern of the ship with several other officers, Glimmer teleported up to the nest, taking the offered spyglass handed to her. Looking through it for a moment, she confirmed the skull-and-crossbones flag flapping in the wind as several ships were accelerating towards Salineas. Frowning, she collapsed the telescope and passed it back before shouting to the waiting crew below. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pirates! Everyone, brace for a fight!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her order snapped everyone into action, Brightmoon forces scrambling to man the cannons, the ships too far out for any reliable hits. Catra jumped to her feet, looking to Adora, finding blue eyes staring back into hers, all exhaustion wiped away with grim determination. Taking her hand, the two of them raced to the lowered gangplank to bridges of scaffolding, Melog bounding at their heels along the makeshift dock towards The Dragon’s Daughter… VI? VII? She hadn’t exactly been keeping count, Sea Hawk in the middle of untying the docking rope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moustachioed seafarer flashed them a grin, having been waiting for a chance to race out into open water and meet any combatants head on! His ship was smaller and faster than any of the military vessels docked for the repairs, and stopping the pirates before they reached the blockade would be ideal. Catra and Adora leapt aboard, Sea Hawk swinging himself back up onto the deck and running to the wheel, having already started the ship’s engine. Just as The Dragon’s Daughter was pulling away from the dock, a pop of magic signified Glimmer’s arrival on deck, arms linked with Bow’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Onward! Adventure!” Sea Hawk’s signature rallying cry was shouted, speeding the boat out into open waters. The Brightmoon forces behind them started to lay down a spray of covering fire, launching columns of water into the air where the artillery fell short of their target. Catra looked to Adora, and they gave each other a nod, before she released her hand and took a few steps back to give her space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the honor of Grayskull!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fur on the back of Catra’s neck stood up as the smell of ozone filled the air, the crackle of magic bursting in a flash of white light. She-Ra stood tall, gripping her sword at the ready, calling out,”More ships incoming!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the edge of the horizon, several more pirate vessels rounded on the route towards the Sea Gate. She-Ra stepped up to the bow of the ship, jumping weightlessly onto the bowsprit, balancing as if she were floating on the long post. Lifting her sword in the air high above her head, she cried out,”For Etheria!” A beam of magic shot from the end of ehr sword, igniting She-Ra’s symbol high in the sky, an intimidation tactic signifying to their attackers just who exactly they were messing with. If it deterred them at all, it didn’t show, ships still advancing, cannons firing their own potshots at The Dragon’s Daughter. Sea Hawk skillfully avoided the blasts, rocking the ship to and fro, laughing high and loud in exhilaration. Catra stumbled, grabbing the handrail of the deck with a sick churn in her stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow and Glimmer didn’t seem to be having the same problem, having established their sea legs it seemed, standing firm. She-Ra jumped from the ship, an impossible distance to outcroppings of rocks dotting the shallower waters along the approach, trailing multicolored light behind her, slashing wide gashes in the hull of ships she passed. As they got closer, a ship She-Ra had cut into that didn’t seem to be sinking just yet set their sights on Sea Hawk’s boat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Prepare for boarding!” Sea Hawk yelled, drawing his blade off his hip, Bow training arrows at a couple of pirates attempting to swing across from their own ship onto theirs. Those struck fell into the water below with a splash, yelping the whole way down. Glimmer’s staff materialized in her hands, taking a wide swing at the first set of boots that touched down on deck, knocking the pirate’s feet out from under him only for a followup volley of pink magic to send him flying back over the handrailing and into the drink. Catra backed away from the railing, trying to find her footing as three more ruffians boarded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melog snarled, stepping forward and taking a swipe at the landing party, keeping them back and away from her. Bow shot a net over, wrapping one up and sending them tumbling to the deck in a surprised heap.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’ve got you covered!” he called out to Catra, and she could hear the smile in his voice. Digging her toeclaws into the deck’s surface, she flexed her fingers, crouching low before throwing herself into the fight, ducking under a sword swing from one of the pirates and slashing across the chest of the other, damaging the protective plating he wore. She registered another group landing in her periphery, only to hear Sea Hawk shout again.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Duck!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boom of the sail swung around the stern of the ship, slamming into most of the newest arrivals. Catra straightened, only for an artillery shot to slam into the side of The Dragon’s Daughter, rocking the boat even harder than Sea Hawk’s erratic steering had. She tumbled to the deck with a yelp, sea spray soaking everyone involved. Glimmer was at her side in a blink, hooking a hand under her elbow and helping her up, pointing her staff and firing a blast of sparkles at the remaining pirates aboard. She was about to fire another shot but hesitated, and Catra followed her gaze to what had seemed to catch her eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A Horde Prime clone stood among the pirates. There was no mistaking it. Even dressed in ragged bandit’s attire, his shock-white hair and skin were impossible to miss. He even still had an arm cannon, aiming it at Glimmer in her pause, firing with gritted teeth. Catra moved first, tackling Glimmer out of the way as the green light ripped through the air where they had been standing moments before. It tore clean through the sails, igniting the white cotton. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see they’re starting to make different career choices!” Glimmer stated, voice shrill with disbelief before she huffed a breath, planting the butt of her staff on the deck and hauling herself up. Catra stood with her as Melog ran at the clone, jumping up onto his arm, sinking huge teeth into the arm cannon. The clone grunted, swinging his arm around, trying to detach the magicat from his weapon only for an electrified arrow to nail him in the back. He dropped like a fly, and the other pirates not already beaten back were starting to retreat to their ship to flee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brightmoon and Salineas forces alike had mobilized on attack ships of their own, starting to catch up with The Dragon’s Daughter in engaging with the enemy, meeting pirate vessels, the sounds of explosions and cannons and battle all around. But they were driving the attack back, the tide quickly turning in their favor. Even without their help, She-Ra was decimating their forces; ever since returning from space, she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>stronger</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Drawing from her own magic, the strength of her will had proven again and again to far surpass that of the power lent by the First Ones’ sword. It was both beautiful and terrifying to watch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The flames on the sails starting to climb higher, smoke drifting into the evening sky trailing behind, Sea Hawk ran to the wheel of the ship. Sliding to a stop on the slick wood, he gripped the controls with markedly upbeat determination, spinning the wheel to turn the burning boat towards a cluster of pirate ships making their way towards them, a second wave apparently not getting the memo they were losing this fight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, what’s he doing?” Catra asked, glancing down to where Glimmer wrapped an arm around her waist, extending her other arm out towards Bow, who was already hopping down from the upper deck to run over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adventure!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sea Hawk jammed his sword in between the spokes of the ship’s steering wheel, keeping her headed straight towards the grouped enemy boats. He then turned and leapt down, following Bow’s lead into Glimmer’s hold as the Queen just gave her a shrug and smile as if this was par for the course. It probably was for them, Catra still just had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact they were losing to these idiots. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gripping Melog’s mane for comfort, Catra shut her eyes tight as Glimmer teleported the group back to the main anchored Brightmoon ship, watching now from afar as The Dragon’s Daughter collided in flames with its target, Sea Hawk jumping into the air with a cheer at the spectacle of it. Catra slumped to sit, dumbfounded, knees weak from both the relocation and the adrenaline of the fight wearing off as the enemy forces fled back beyond the horizon where they had come from. The artillery group whooped, celebrating the pirates’ retreat, and Catra looked around with a mild frown curving her lips, panic creeping up her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Adora?” she asked, leaning on Melog for support as she got back up, though a pitch of nausea had her tilting off-balance for a moment. Bow put a hand out to steady her, warm and reassuring on her upper arm, sheathing his bow with his free hand before pointing out towards the waters. Following his finger, she relaxed once she saw that familiar white glow, seemingly playing hopscotch out of sinking ships and floating debris, making her way back towards the Gate. With one more powerful leap, She-Ra landed on the deck of the ship, straightening up tall and proud, a huge grin on her face before her bright blue eyes landed on her friends. She raced over, scooping the three of them up in her arms effortless in a huge hug, earning a squealing laugh from Glimmer and Bow, a grunt of surprise squeezed out of Catra’s lungs before she was laughing along with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did it!” She-Ra laughed, voice humming with magical energy as she set Bow and Glimmer down, but kept her free arm around Catra’s shoulders. Catra opened her mouth to reply, rolling her eyes, a sarcastic comment trying to brush off the victory dying in her throat as she was suddenly tipped back. Her hands reached up instinctively, clawed fingers gripping into the material of She-Ra’s top, eyes wide as she kissed her so lovingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had never kissed her as She-Ra before. Her lips felt electric, tasting like lightning and sweat and smoke from the fight, shooting straight down Catra’s spine to the tip of her tail. Catra’s eyes closed, finding familiarity and comfort in the shape of Adora’s mouth against her own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> was all her. She felt the shift, the shrinking of She-Ra’s imposing frame, opening her eyes as Adora straightened them up again, cheeks flushed with exertion from the battle and perhaps embarrassment as sailors clapped and whistled at the display. Catra stiffened, giving Adora a shove, unable to fight her own blush. She couldn’t help smiling, even as she tried to sound irritated, saying,”You’re being gross again, you big sap!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora just laughed breathlessly, and it was like music to her ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
  <span>-</span>
  
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Sea Gate being fully repaired was more than enough cause for celebration on its own. They had celebrated battle victories before in the Horde -- but not like this. Not a party, leisure and a sense of accomplishment after the deed was said and done. It usually meant they received an extra ration bar, wouldn't be pushed quite so hard during training. Given an extra day to rest, then it was right back to the war effort. This wasn't the Horde though, and Catra mentally made a note to try and stop comparing the rest of Etheria to it as she sat sipping what Bow had explained was "punch" from a wooden cup. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The drink was sweet on her tongue, her nose having first crinkled at the scent of alcohol. Context up to that point had been senior officers sneaking booze into their barracks, or used strictly as a cleaning agent in the medical bay. She had never thought to ever drink it, the smell from those clear plastic bottles usually an assault on her nose and clogging her senses with the sterile smell lingering for the rest of the day. It wasn't so bad like this, watered down with juice and fruit, seated on a packed up crate on the upper deck of the ship. The boats would depart tomorrow, but tonight? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Drinks and food were shared among Brightmoon and Salineas forces, passed back and forth from one person to the next, setting up folded tables and chairs and lights and paper streamers. Several soldiers had even gone and retrieved various musical instruments, forming an impromptu band to play music for the gathering. Blue and yellow eyes followed Adora and Glimmer on the makeshift dance floor of spare plywood laid out, watching them laugh and move to the music. Bow lightly elbowed her in the side, grinning into his own cup, saying."Well? How do you feel?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" Catra asked as she glanced at him sideways, brow pinching together. There was always some emotional meaning behind his words most of the time, but she didn't quite have a grasp on deciphering it just yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"About all this. About helping fix something, instead of destroying it," he clarified, gesturing to the glowing barrier towering over the harbor, pulsing with warm blue light. Catra stiffened at his wording, guilt knotting it's way through her stomach. She downed the remainder of her drink to chase the feeling off, shooting him a glare before catching the anger and taking a deep breath instead. Chewing on her words for a moment, on how to respond, he waited patiently for her to find her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's… nice. And not that I care, but it's cool how like, the others aren't shooting me dirty looks as much anymore, I guess," she mumbled, before flinching as Bow threw an arm around her shoulders, a sidelong hug of encouragement as he beamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See? I told you things would start getting easier once we got this thing fixed," he laughed, and she shoved him off with a huff, but her own smile twitched at the corner of her lips. He took the push in stride, still smiling that stupid smile as Glimmer and Adora finished up their dance as the song came to an end and started to make their way over. Bow leaned down, saying into Catra's ear,"Offer to get her a drink." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Catra! Bow!" Glimmer had an arm comfortably linked with Adora's, breaking off to instead insert herself into Catra's space, hopping up to sit down right beside her, leaning against her shoulder. Adora hesitated, watching the three of them with an otherwise deeply fond smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhm --" Catra started, sitting up a bit straighter, looking to the two of them and then back to Bow with a quizzical look,"Are you two thirsty?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brief look on Bow's face told her that that was not what she was supposed to say, and she bristled slightly. What? He said to offer drinks! Fanning herself with her hand, Glimmer grinned, teasing,"Aw, Catra cares about us! But yes, I'm pretty warm after dancing so much. I'd love one if you're getting more." She nodded to Catra's empty cup, clutched tight in her hands in her lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Catra stood, only for Bow to suddenly knock back his own and say,"Me too! Adora, why don't you give her a hand?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow knew they hadn't been getting much time together and was just trying to give them an excuse to slip off? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, sure..?" Adora hummed, quickly catching on to something Catra must have missed, before she looped an arm around Catra's waist and started to head with her over towards the refreshments table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't take too long, lovebirds!" Glimmer called at their backs, feet swinging as she giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra scoffed, rolling her eyes, only to pause when Adora gently took one of the cups from her grasp and started to fill it once they reached the punch bowl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does this stuff even taste any good? Everybody seems to be drinking it," Adora noted, Catra sipping from her drink once it had been topped up. Shrugging, she then offered it to Adora, suggesting,"Wanna try a sip of mine?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hands occupied with the ladle and Bow's cup, she leaned over after a simple "Sure", and Catra couldn't help but laugh when she opened her mouth at her. She lifted her drink to Adora's face, tipping the cup gently so she could sip the contents herself, just to lick her lips after and decide to get her own as well. Arms full with drinks for themselves and their friends, the two made their way back over to where they'd left Bow and Glimmer. Bow had taken Catra's spot seated beside Glimmer, and both were leaning their heads close, speaking quietly, hands linked between them. They didn't seem to notice Catra and Adora coming back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who're the lovebirds now, huh?" Catra teased, offering their drinks to them as they startled, Adora laughing into her punch. Glimmer stuck out her tongue but mouthed a "thank you" at the drink, taking a long sip as another song kicked off from the band. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wanna dance some more?" Bow asked, and Catra was once again taken aback at how outright he could be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"In a bit. Gotta cool down first," Glimmer clarified, nudging his shoulder with her own. Emboldened, Catra followed Bow's example (not that she would ever admit to doing so), turning to look at Adora to ask her the same thing. She found her blue eyes staring right back at her already, expectant, but looking away when caught as if embarrassed to be hoping for her to ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well?" Catra said after clearing her throat,"What about you? Dance?" She punctuated the question with a drink, looking to the dance floor briefly as if they would go anywhere else to do so. There was no missing the way Adora immediately brightened, a huge smile on her face as she nodded her head enthusiastically. Unsure where to out her beverage though, she downed it before setting the cup aside and grabbing Catra's hand, pulling her to the dancefloor. Catra barely had time to set her own drink down, just carefully enough not to spill before she was being taken up on her offer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were actually out on the dancefloor, nerves fluttered in her stomach again, glancing around at the surrounding crowd moving to the music. Adora gave her hand a squeeze, still held in her own, to get her attention back on her, before she pulled her in, guiding her hands up around her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Since when do you dance, anyway?" Adora asked teasingly, saying,"You didn't learn just for me, did you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shut up," Catra grumbled, feeling heat rush up her face. Considering their last and only dance before had been… well, combative. Taunting. Enjoying it for all the wrong reasons at Princess Prom. Not to mention, it had been a uniform, coordinated dance as per tradition. Their current circumstances were far from formal, no rigid steps mapped out in her head to follow. Still, Catra was light on her feet and a quick learner, able to follow Adora's lead as naturally as breathing as they swayed to the music.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About halfway through the song, Adora tipped her face down, resting her forehead on Catra's. At first, she didn't think anything of it-- gestures like that one in particular were becoming much more common and frequent in their repertoire of affection. The heat coming off of her skin however was new. Stiffening slightly, Catra stopped and pulled back enough to move a hand and lift Adora's chin to get a better look at her face again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her skin was flushed, slightly damp with sweat, but she had a feeling it didn't have much to do with their dance. Adora stumbled on the next note, seeing as her dance partner was no longer moving, and giggled at the self blunder before righting herself, turning her head to press her lips to the inside of Catra's palm against her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey Catra," she hummed, breathing in deeply through her nose as Catra snatched her hand back with a jolt. Something was definitely up. "Why'd you stop dancing? Aren't we having fun? I'm having </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much fun!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just how strong was that punch? Catra had had two drinks and barely felt a thing-- maybe a little warmth pooled in the pit of her stomach. Adora had slammed back her one drink in her rush to dance with her, and was already acting… well, weird!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>drunk</span>
  </em>
  <span> already?" Catra asked, sounding both worried and incredulous at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pffft, what? No! I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you're </span>
  </em>
  <span>the drunk one," Adora countered with a snort, still shifting her weight back and forth, about half a beat behind the music. She took both of Catra's hands in hers, swingjng them between the both of them widely, narrowly missing another couple. Catra bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> much, steadying her hands and attempting to wrangle her away from the dancefloor Adora very much wanted to stay however, bumping her hip with her own in an off-kilter little dance to music that was definitely not what the band was playing, twirling Catra in her arms with a delighted cheer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was quickly going from cute to frustrating as Adora kept wiggling her way out of her hold, Catra insisting,"Come on Adora, let's sit you down and get you some water, ok?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Boo, I don't want to sit down! I want to dance with you! You made me so happy when you asked… hey can I have more punch?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra ignored the blush flaring up on her cheeks, scrubbing a hand down her face to recollect herself, trying to spot Bow and Glimmer and get their attention somehow, but they weren't in the same spot anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Catraaa," Adora whined again, leaning heavily into her, her weight making Catra stumbled slightly where she had one of Adora's arms across her shoulders and her own free hand wrapped around her waist. It made her realize very quickly that Adora held herself very carefully around her, heavier and stronger than she looked even without She-Ra. "Catra what do I get if we go sit down? Catra what do I get? I'm hungry, do I get food?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure, if we can find Bow and Glimmer, we'll get you food," Catra responded with another suppressed laugh,"I don't want to just leave you alone while I go get it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora seemed to accept that, cooperating a bit more as they rounded the stern of the ship, circling past the center cabin to the upper deck of the ship. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There you two are!" Catra sighed in relief, Bow and Glimmer seated next to each other along the edge of the boat, legs hanging out from between the handrail spokes. Glimmer took one look at Adora and sucked in a sympathetic hiss between her teeth before laughing, Bow moving to grab Adora's other side and help Catra with hefting her weight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aww, is the party over? Catra said I'd get something to eat!" Adora said, looking blearily between her three friends, pouting. Stifling further laughter, Glimmer nodded her head, summoning her staff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's get you to bed, hm?" Glimmer said, putting a hand on Bow's shoulder. With the four of them tethered to one another by touch, the Queen of Brightmoon easily teleported them back to the castle. Catra managed to keep her footing this time, standing in the center of hers and Adora's room. Glimmer flicked the lights on, and Adora was giggling at the rush of magic, head spinning. Bow gave Catra a hand getting her to bed; she hooked her arms underneath her shoulders, and he grabbed her underneath the knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Heavier than she looks," Catra grunted, knowing she was just saying what Bow was thinking but too polite to speak it aloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Am not," Adora mumbled, wiggling her feet and just making it harder for them to carry her, but they got her on to her cot with some effort. Catra went to take her jacket off of her, Bow attempting to unbuckle her boots for her as Glimmer ducked out to the kitchens to grab some water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're undressing me? Catra you're so bold," Adora slurred, partially muffled from pressing half of her face into the pillows. Bow snorted, tossing her shoes to the floor at the foot of the bed as Catra growled,"Shut up, dummy! That's not why I'm doing it!" She whipped her head around to glare at Bow, who just grinned back, muting further laughter into the back of his hand as he stood up. Glimmer returned in a pop of sparkles, setting down a glass and water jug on the end table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"... thanks for the help. You two head back to the party, I'll keep an eye on her," Catra managed after a few moments, sitting on the edge of the bed, back to Adora but partially turned at the waist to reach a hand back and stroke her fingers back through her hair, working it gently out of its ponytail. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You sure?" Bow asked, and she could tell he was asking not just out of courtesy,"You can just send me a message on my tracker pad if you need us, ok?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Catra smiled at the genuine care. He was so sweet sometimes it practically made her sick. In a nice way!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I've got this. Go have fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer shot her a double thumbs-up, saying,"Good luck then!" And they were gone. Catra got up, taking a deep breath, admittedly glad to be back in their room in Brightmoon. The crowd on the ship had been starting to get to her, the constant noise and sound worming its way into her brain and niggling constantly at the back of her mind. At least now she could catch her breath, going to the wardrobe to get changed. They could always go back and retrieve the stuff they'd packed tomorrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra stripped her top off above her head, shoulders stiff and sore still from all of the workd the past couple of weeks. Her back was tight when she bent down to ditch her leggings, straightening up in her underthings and snatching a large t-shirt that was too big on Adora. Catra was practically swimming in it, but it was the perfect comfort as she padded back over to the bed. Adora's eyes were closed but she wasn't quite asleep, fidgeting and shifting restlessly, humming and making other nonsense noises seemingly just for something to do. Her eyes opened when she felt Catra's weight shifted the mattress when she sat down again, and she rolled over onto her side to face her, a goofy grin on her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stay still so I can tuck you in," Catra scolded, pulling the covers that she was laying ontop of out from under her with a grunt, only for Adora to theatrically roll right back the way she came and clean off the bed, hitting the floor with a wheezing laugh. "Oh for-- Adora!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde sat up, catching her eye with a smile, and rested her chin on the edge of the mattress. Needing to take another deep breath, Catra got a different idea, and pulled the blankets aside for now. Going to the lights, she could feel Adora staring at her every move. Flicking them back off, she ignored Adora's "oooooh" at the darkness, climbing into bed but sitting up at the headboard. Pulling the blankets up, she held them open at her side, offering the space to her partner, gold and blue eyes reflecting the moonlight peeking in through the curtains. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"... what are you waiting for?" Catra asked quietly. Adora felt pinned to the spot by her gaze, kneeling at the side of the bed obediently, hands clenching in her lap at the question. Laser focus cut through the fog in her stare, her smile falling open in a pleasantly surprised,"Oh!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still wasn't exactly coordinated however, Catra grunting as Adora practically launched herself into bed at her, sighing out blissfully as they fumbled to get comfortable in the dark. Adora leaned against her frame, lifting her head, mouth searching for hers only to find a finger pressing to her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nuh uh. Sleep, ok?" Catra stated evenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No kisses?" Adora asked, almost sounding as dejected as a kicked puppy. It was pretty damn effective; Catra felt an arrow pierce her heart practically. Steeling her nerves against it however, she wouldn't bend that easily!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No kisses. Not when you're like this, alright? It's not… it's not fair," Catra tried to explain, feeling Adora relax a bit the more she spoke. She moved her hand to pet through her hair, guiding her head down to rest on her chest. "If that makes sense?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmhmm. S'okay Catra, y'don't gotta explain t'me," Adora hummed against her chest, closing her eyes again, her breathing starting to even out, getting slower and deeper the longer Catra brushed her fingers through sandy blond locks. "I just want t'let you know, so you know, that I wanna kiss you like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>all the time.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Y'know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra pursed her lips, not wanting to laugh conflicting with the heated sensation crawling up the back of her neck at the confession. She kissed the top of her head gently, saying,"Yeah. I know." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora seemed satisfied with that response, falling quiet. Leaving Catra alone with her thoughts as she fell asleep, Adora probably wouldn't remember saying something so embarrassing by morning. If she did, Catra was already planning on teasing her about it, smirking to herself at the thought before her own eyes closed, soothed by the sound of her breathing and the comfortable weight of her head on her chest.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Quick how many times can I use the word "drink" in the same sentence SOMEONE BUY ME A THESAURUS. Adora is that frosh at the kegger who gets sloshed off one can of bud light. In this case it's punch of dubious alcohol content but I stand by my words!</p><p>Also if any typos are found please feel free to point them out and I'll fix it rip</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Exercise Your Demons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora stills has bad dreams. Catra knows how to calm her down. Bow and Adora are morning people, Glimmer and Catra not so much.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was just starting to climb up over the horizon, the warming air starting to burn off the morning dew and creating a thin fog in the air. Adora could hear the birds in the trees waking up, but was more focused on keeping her breathing even as she pumped her arms and legs, turning the bend of another lap around the cobblestone path of the courtyard gardens. Finishing off her next loop, she slowed to a walk to cool down, lifting two fingers to the side of her neck to feel her jittering pulse jumping beneath her skin. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she counted down, letting the burn in her thighs ebb away, playing the early morning’s events over and over in her head. She grimaced inwardly at the memory.</p><p>- - -</p><p>She’d been sleep-thrashing again. Having another awful dream; she could only barely remember them. She’d been fighting… something? An army of sorts. Trying to save everybody. She couldn’t transform into She-Ra, and for some reason, couldn’t remember any bit of her Horde training. She was helpless, powerless, and alone, surrounded by an enemy closing in tight, swallowing her up, drowning, suffocating-- </p><p>Catra had shook her awake. Melog was laying with his head on Adora’s chest when her eyes opened, and she shoved him off a bit too hard in her panic, panting for her breath. If he’d been bothered by it, he hadn’t shown it, moving to rest at her feet comfortably atop the blankets as she wiped cold sweat from her forehead. The sun hadn’t even risen yet. She found Catra staring at her with obvious worry in her eyes, finding comfort in their near-glow in the dim darkness of their room. </p><p>“Adora?” Catra had spoken so softly, a hand still on her shoulder, the other reaching to brush wild strands of hair back from her face, damp with sweat and sticking to her skin in places. She stayed quiet, letting Adora respond in her own time if she wanted to. The blond took this silence to absorb her surroundings. Bed. Room in Brightmoon. Melog. Catra. No sound of battle coming from outside. Just birds and their morningsong beginning to crest through the air. Adora took a deep breath, her tight shoulders uncoiling slightly. She reached a hand down, and back, underneath her pillow, fingertips finding her knife handle just to make sure it was still there. </p><p>
  <em> Just in case. </em>
</p><p>“I’m okay,” Adora finally exhaled, dragging a palm over her face to shake off the sensation and rub any sleep left from her eyes. Sitting up next to her, Catra didn’t seem entirely convinced, brows drawing together in discomfort at seeing her so quick to cover up her distress. </p><p>“Do you… want to talk about it?” Catra asked slowly, the words sounding foreign coming from her, tone both managing to be unsure but hopeful at the same time. Adora wouldn’t laugh; not when she knew how hard Catra was trying. Communicating their feelings had never exactly been either of their strong suits. </p><p>“It was just a bad dream,” Adora insisted, waving a hand dismissively, only for her girlfriend to catch her grasp in her own, interlacing their fingers and drawing her hand down to brush her lips soothingly along her knuckles. Adora nearly melted. Her brain was still trying to catch up. The panic inducing nightmare that had her heart racing was over, and the safe, warm, tender environment she found herself in was <em> very </em> different. It was jarring, and very difficult to adjust to so quickly, her body screaming at her to not let her guard down. That this was a trick somehow. </p><p>Weren’t mind-games Horde Prime’s whole deal? Emotional and mental manipulation Shadow Weaver’s bread and butter? Strenuous physical conditioning and indoctrination Hordak’s whole schtick?</p><p>But then Catra turned her hand in her hold, pressing Adora’s palm to her cheek, fingertips brushing against the soft tufts of fur along her jaw. Catra held her hand there with her own laid overtop hers, keeping her there, keeping her grounded. She probably knew exactly the doubts that were running through her mind. So she insisted that she feel she was here. Feel this was <em> real </em>. </p><p>“You can tell me about it, if you want,” Catra said, keeping her voice even. She turned her head slightly and kissed the inside of her wrist, and Adora’s breath hitched slightly in her throat for an entirely different reason. “I’ll listen.” It was such a gentle prompting, Adora felt an unexpected flare of frustration in her belly. Catra must have felt it up her arm, muscles tensing slightly, the two of them freezing to just stare at each other before Catra frowned and let go of her hand.<br/><br/>“What?” Catra asked, her previous uncertainty slowly shifting to suspicion. </p><p>Adora lifted her hands in a placating gesture, saying,”No, no, I’m sorry. I just…” She tried to quickly clarify as she saw Catra’s annoyed look at her apologizing. It was hard not to! </p><p>“Look, in my nightmare, I was fighting this like, army I think?” Adora started to tumble over her words in her rush to get the feeling out. She felt small, and fragile, and she hated it. And she hated being treated delicately like she might break with one wrong move even more. “And I couldn’t turn into She-Ra. And I couldn’t fight back at all, like I’d forgotten all of my training or something. Like I didn’t know how to be me anymore. And if I couldn’t be She-Ra anymore, what good <em> could </em> I be? Everyone was counting on me, and I just couldn’t do anything on my own.”</p><p>For some reason, her eyes were stinging as she finished and her hands were trembling in her lap. Adora clenched them into fists to get them to stop. Catra glanced down, and took them in her own firmly, squeezing. </p><p>“That must have felt really overwhelming,” Catra stated frankly, scraping the pads of her thumbs back and forth over the back of her hands. Adora opened her mouth to reply, but her words felt like they were stuck in her throat. Her lower lip trembled, and she clamped her mouth shut instead, just nodding her head a few times before bowing it under the weight of the admittance. To her surprise, warmth spilled down her cheeks with the motion, and her next breath came in shuddering. Adora pulled a hand out of Catra’s hold to quickly swipe her forearm across her eyes, squeezing them shut with an indignant groan.</p><p>“Ugh! It was just a stupid dream!” she laughed breathlessly, trying to shake off the feeling as she lifted her head up. She was relieved that Catra was grinning at her, instead of finding some pitying, sympathetic stare directed her way. </p><p>“Yeah, but it still sucked, by the sounds of it,” Catra said, releasing her other hand to lean back on her arms casually, untucking her legs out from under herself to stretch them out across the mattress. Adora pushed the blanket off of herself the rest of the way, getting to her feet with a bounce. She ran her fingers back through her hair, smoothing it back, pulling it into a quick, messy ponytail with the elastic around her wrist. She felt incredibly keyed up-- full of energy she wasn’t expecting, having burned off the negative emotion from just that short talk. The idea behind it was still bothering her.</p><p>Had she become too dependent on She-Ra? Whenever the Sword of Power was stolen, or taken from her before, she hadn’t had any doubts within herself that she’d be able to get it back. Recalling going toe-to-toe with Huntara in the Crimson Waste, she puffed up a little with pride. Where had that confidence gone after she’d broken the sword? She was plenty capable, even before all of this. Top of her class… Force Captain promotion… An excellent fighter and great tracker. She didn’t need She-Ra to be those things.</p><p>“I’m gonna go for a run,” Adora said, after having been pacing back and forth during her mental gymnastics with herself. Catra had been watching with raised eyebrows, tail slowly flicking back and forth. Adora was about to ask her if she’d like to join her, before Catra yawned widely and flopped back down onto her side, yanking the blanket around herself. Melog crawled up to the warm space on the bed Adora had left behind, curling up with his master with a low purr.</p><p>“Knock yourself out,” Catra said, waving a hand loosely before draping her arm over Melog’s flank,”I’ll be here.” Adora had snorted a laugh, before getting changed and heading down to the courtyard. </p><p>- - -</p><p>“Adora!” </p><p>Adora’s attention was brought back to the present, and she looked to the source of the call, finding Bow making his way over. He had two bottles of water in hand, and a towel draped over one shoulder, all smiles. He was just as much of a morning person as she was, tossing her one of the bottles. Adora straightened and caught it with a thanks, quickly twisting the cap off to guzzle down a few hefty mouthfuls. Wiping her mouth in the back of her hand, Bow joined her on the next few laps, and she was happy to run in silence. With Bow, that silence never lasted long. </p><p>Between even breaths, he asked,”You’re out even earlier than usual this morning. Anything up?”</p><p>“Had a bad dream,” she replied with a shrug,”Talked about it with Catra. I’m good now. But there was no way I was falling back asleep. Glimmer still in bed?” </p><p>“Still out like a light. Didn’t even move when I got up this morning. She sleeps like a log…”<br/><br/>“She really does! Honestly, I’d get so stressed if she fell asleep on me at sleepovers… What if I had to get up to go pee or something?” <br/><br/>“You could probably shove her off and she wouldn’t even blink,” Bow offered with a laugh, and they slowed their jog to a stop before taking a seat in the damp grass directly across from one another. Locking ankles, they started to do sit-ups, touching elbows at each peak. </p><p>“Catra’s the opposite,” Adora huffed, finding it nice to be able to just talk about this kind of stuff,”She’s so skittish. It’s easy to get her back to sleep though, at least. In fact she went right back to bed this morning after we talked.”</p><p>“I’d be way more shocked if you got her to come out here with you,” he replied, and once they were done their set, separated to get some stretches in. He lifted his arms straight up over his head, before bending over forward to reach for his sneaker, keeping his knee down and leg straight. Adora wasn’t quite as flexible as he was, as she’d always been more focused on combat and strength training. The deep breathing aspects of these poses he had shown her were refreshing, helping her clear her mind and kick the cobwebs still clumping up her thought process. </p><p>“She could if she wanted to,” Adora reasoned with a shrug,”She worked plenty hard back in training. She was just… really good at convincing everyone she didn’t care.” </p><p>“Considering I’ve been on the receiving end of her attacks more times than I bothered counting, I don’t doubt that,” he mused after chewing on the thought for a bit. He proceeded to switch up his pose to some other stretch, while Adora opted to roll over onto her belly, bracing her hands on the damp earth and deciding to knock out some pushups. She continued until her arms began to tremble slightly, a thin line of sweat forming along the column of her spine. She only paused when she heard the signature noise of Glimmer’s teleportation magic, turning her head to try and see where she was coming in.</p><p>Glimmer still had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her hair fully sticking up on one side. In one hand she kept the blanket closed at the front, covering her mouth as she yawned with the other.</p><p>“Breakfast is ready. Are you two ever gonna come in to eat?” she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes to squint at her best friends, offering her arm down. Bow stood, taking her hand in his with a chuckle, and Adora halted to sit up on her knees, panting slightly. She lifted her shirt by the hem, wiping sweat from her face and neck, getting to her feet on slightly wobbly legs. </p><p>“I think I’m gonna go shower first,” she said with an apologetic smile, letting her shirt drop and wiping her palms on the seat of her shorts to get rid of any dirt and grass that might still be there. </p><p>“Alright. I’ll make sure the food stays warm for you when you’re ready,” Glimmer said with a shrug, adding,”I told Catra too but I think she’s still asleep.” </p><p>“Thanks. I’ll make sure she gets up to come eat something,” Adora replied, before turning to head back inside the castle via the pedestrian route, saying,”You guys go ahead. We’ll catch up.” Not wanting to miss out on food, Adora broke into a jog, legs a bit too tired for a full on sprint at the moment, following the hallways back to her room. As nice as baths were, she still preferred showers, having grown up on short, quick, cold showers if you wanted to wash at all. And you had better be <em> efficient </em> with that five minutes, unless you wanted soldier stank all over your bunk and gear. </p><p>It was the little pleasures though, tip-toeing quietly through their room so as to not wake her partner, seeing Catra still curled up dozing under the purple canopy of their bed. She slipped through the door to the personal bathroom, and peeled off her sweaty top, shaking her hair out of its ponytail. Adora opened the shower curtain, reaching in and turning the faucet, letting the water heat up to steaming as she finished stripping and tossing her damp workout clothes into the laundry basket in the corner. </p><p>On the other side of the bathroom door, Catra stirred as she heard the shower running. Adora was back already? Either she had fallen back asleep for longer than she had thought, or Adora had only done a short workout. She was leaning more towards the former being the case. It didn’t help that Catra vaguely remembered Glimmer poking her head in to tell her breakfast was ready, sounding just as tired and ready to go back to bed as Catra had been earlier. She still appreciated it though; Glimmer could just make the guards tell them when meals were ready, but seemed to enjoy doing it herself. Little excuses to talk and see one another, it was an effort that wasn't lost on Catra.</p><p>Catra stretched her arms up, arching her back off the bed as she rolled, letting out a long low whine with the movement to wake up. Melog remained slumbering, so she tossed the blanket she kicked off over him, sitting up and rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes as she heard the water get turned off. She scooted to sit up on the edge of the bed, combing her fingers back through her hair to try and get some control over the wild strands of bedhead. Adora stepped out of the bathroom, a pair of red shorts on and a cropped, sleeveless white hooded sweater, running a towel vigorously back and forth over her hair. </p><p>Catra snorted a laugh as she watched her stumble over to her wardrobe, not able to see where she was going with the towel over her face, making Adora pause and lower the towel around her shoulders. Catra just laughed harder, damp strands of blond hair now sticking up and swooped in every different direction, half falling across Adora’s face as she turned her head to look to her in surprise.</p><p>“Catra! I thought you were still asleep! I didn’t wake you, did I?” Adora asked, trying to pat down some of the wild mess on her head. Catra grabbed a hairbrush from the end table by the bed, and hopped up to toss it to her. Adora caught it after fumbling for a moment, Catra striding past her to fling open the wardrobe doors, saying,”I’m fine. Glimmer tried to wake me up earlier. Something about breakfast?”</p><p>Adora sat down at the vanity, pulling the brush through her hair, glancing at Catra in the mirror as she spoke, watching her hum in thought as she looked over the clothing selection available. Very quickly, she looked away when Catra straightened up and pulled her pajama top clear off over her head.</p><p>“Uh, y-yeah, food’s ready whenever you’re ready to head down,” Adora said, clearing her throat, unable to help but sneak another peek. In the mirror, she could see Catra’s back, bare and lithe, darker stripes of orange horizontally lining her lower back. Her gaze trailed down, following the curve of her spine, the dip of her hips as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Pulling on an undershirt before her hands went to her pajama bottoms, Catra paused, feeling her looking at her, and turned around just in time to see Adora looking away. </p><p>Catra smiled despite the warmth flooding her cheeks, getting dressed the rest of the way before she made her way over, draping her arms over Adora’s shoulders from behind where she sat. Adroa set the brush down, tipping her head back to look up at her curiously, smiling as innocently as she could manage, her hair slicked back with water and nowhere near being dry. Catra interlaced her fingers underneath her chin, thumbs framing her jawline on either side as she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.</p><p>“Feeling better after your run?” Catra asked sweetly, Adora lifting a hand to touch her forearm, fingers finding their way wrapped around her wrist. Adora turned her palm, dropping her head forward again to kiss the inside of her hand, before turning around in the vanity stool to face her, arm going around her middle and pulling her in. Her thighs caged Catra’s knees, and she rested her cheek against Catra’s chest, breathing in deeply before she nodded.</p><p>“I do,” she admitted quietly, listening to Catra purr at the response, before she stiffened. Catra’s arms around her tightened considerably, and she yelped as Catra leaned down and started to rub her face into her hair, depositing herself into Adora’s lap and trying to take up as much as her space as possible it seemed. Adora adjusted her hold accordingly so Catra wouldn’t fall, trying not to lean away too hard since she knew what she was doing. The soaps and shampoos of Brightmoon did smell good, but Catra had expressed they were too flowery for her taste, explaining through her blush to a laughing Adora after a shower one morning that they made her smell <em> different </em>. </p><p>“Catra I <em> just </em> brushed it,” Adora complained, though her heart wasn’t in it, enjoying the treatment far outweighing the inconvenience of needing to brush her hair again once Catra was done. </p><p>“You should’ve thought of that before going for the scented stuff,” Catra countered with a chuckle rumbling from her throat, leaning back once she was satisfied. Adora opened her mouth to reply but paused as her stomach growled loud enough for the both of them to take notice. Catra glanced down to her exposed midriff then back up, laughing as she hopped up out of her lap. </p><p>“C’mon. Let’s go eat. Wouldn’t want you wasting away,” Catra teased, poking at her bicep teasingly. Adora rolled her eyes, dragging the brush hastily through her hair once more, before standing and turning to follow, reaching back to tie her still-wet hair back out of her face. From where she was waiting with her hand on the door handle, Catra froze for a moment, throat going dry, watching the already cropped material of Adora’s top slide up further, the faint shift of muscle of her exposed arms in the few seconds it took her to put up her ponytail. </p><p>It was Catra’s turn to be caught staring but from the tilt of her head and curious look Adora gave her, the blond didn’t exactly seem to understand why. Then Adora got close enough to put her hand on top of Catra’s on the doorknob. She leaned down, and Catra found herself tilting her head up reflexively, eyes halfway to closing, mouth opening slightly to accept incoming kisses eagerly. Adora kissed her forehead, and opened the door, wearing one of the most smug looks Catra had ever seen on her. Bumping Catra’s hip with her own as she went, she hurried down the hall, calling back over her shoulder,”What! I thought you didn’t want me wasting away!” </p><p>Catra sucked in a deep, calming breath, before exhaling in a huff and sprinting after her with a laugh of her own,”Not fair!”</p><p>- - -</p><p>A few days later, Adora stood in front of a door having spent the last five minutes trying to psych herself up to knock. It was late-- the sun had just about set, and she had slipped out after dinner, insisting she had some business to take care of. She trusted Glimmer, Bow, and Catra could all keep each other occupied long enough before they got worried and came looking for her. She hadn’t made any attempt to elaborate further, preferring to keep it that way lest she accidentally let spill what she was trying to do. Surely she would combust from embarrassment if that had been the case.</p><p>She had sort of mentally exhausted her options for advice here. If she asked Bow or Glimmer, she might come across some information she’d really rather not know about her best friends, and the imagery accompanying that was even more uncomfortable. The other princesses were either too busy, or she genuinely didn’t think they’d take her seriously. Not to mention, between rebuilding efforts and solidifying peace, Adora didn’t think they’d find it prudent to tackle this particular problem. Except maybe Perfuma, but she might accidentally slip up and mention it to Catra at their next meditation session, and then what? </p><p>Plus, what was even going on with her and Scorpia? Would seeking relationship advice from someone she wasn’t even sure was in a relationship the best idea?</p><p>Which brought her here. </p><p>Knocking a few times, Adora’s heart pounded in her ears as she waited what felt like hours, when in reality it couldn’t have been longer than the time it took for Netossa to get up from the living room couch and make her way to open the door. </p><p>“Adora! Hey,” she greeted, pleasant surprise and confusion on her face as she quickly glanced around to see she was alone,”What, uh-- what’s up?”</p><p>“Can I come in? There’s… there’s something I want to ask you about,” Adora managed to squeak out, and try as she might to appear calm and composed, she could feel heat crawling up the back of her neck, turning the tips of her ears bright red. Netossa arched a brow at her but nodded once, stepping aside to let her in. She shut the door, and led Adora over to the couch, the living room smack dab in the middle of the house, a fireplace crackling away. She had an open book on the coffee table, and Adora could hear the sound of dishes being washed from the kitchen. </p><p>“Who’s here, darling?” Spinerella called, drying her hands with a cloth as she made her way into the living room,”Oh! Adora! How nice of you to stop by.”<br/><br/>“I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” Adora blurted, seated stiffly, hands clenched in her lap and knees rigid, tight together. Netossa and Spinerella shot each other a curious look.</p><p>“Not at all,” Spinerella insisted in a soft voice after a moment, smiling,”What’s going on?”</p><p>Adora chewed her lower lip for a moment; she’d come this far. She’d rehearsed exactly what she would say in her head over and over, repeating it to herself the entire time she had been coming down here to their home. She’d walked instead of taking Swift Wind for more time to mull it over and also avoid her loyal steed pestering her with questions about why she was going to see the two women.</p><p>“I-- I need advice,” Adora explained, and once she’d opened the floodgates, it all came pouring out,”Any time Catra and I get some alone time together, we always seem to get interrupted by something, or something happens, or it’s not the best time for it; but at the same time I’m worried that I might do something wrong and freak her out, or I won’t be any good at it, or what if I’m the only one who wants to do these things? Like, lately, I just want to hug her and kiss her more and more, and that’s great! That’s fine! I’d be okay if that’s all she wanted to do! But I-- I also want more, if I’m allowed, if she wants to, and I don’t know how to approach that in a way that doesn’t--”<br/><br/>“Whoa! Whoa, Adora,” Netossa said after snapping out of her initial shock. She sat down next to her on the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. Spinerella had a hand over her mouth, fighting down a laugh, mumbling something about how she’ll get some tea for this conversation before disappearing back into the kitchen.</p><p>“Start from the beginning,” Netossa said, clearing her throat,”What I’m hearing is, you want to… what, be more intimate with Catra?”<br/><br/>Adora nodded meekly. If steam could come out of her ears it no doubt would be by now.</p><p>“Ok. And you’re not sure if Catra wants the same things, physically,” Netossa prompted further, to more nodding. “Have you tried… oh, I don’t know, asking her?”<br/><br/>“... sort of?” Adora responded in a whine, burying her red face in her hands with a groan,”It’s also just… weird. Being allowed to want this.” <br/><br/>Netossa’s expression softened, and the hand on her shoulder slid back to rub soothing circles on her back, laughing softly.</p><p>“Yeah. Can be kinda intimidating when you’re not sure, huh?” she hummed, looking up as Spinerella joined them, setting a tray of tea on the coffee table before sitting across from them on the open loveseat. No doubt she’d been listening to the entire conversation, grinning still.</p><p>“You know, Adora,” Spinerella started, pouring herself a cup of tea,”I’m the one who asked Netossa out first.”</p><p>That got Adora to take her face out of her hands at least, looking up with surprise. <br/><br/>“What? It’s not that shocking, is it?” Spinerella laughed, to which Adora quickly shook her head, Netossa finishing pouring the tea and passing her a cup before leaning back to sip at her own. <br/><br/>“No, no, it’s not that. I just never really thought about there being a time you two weren’t together. When we met, you were already married. I’d never seen a relationship like yours before,” Adora explained,”You joked around and were competitive with each other, but sweet and encouraging and openly loving, too. Growing up in the Horde, I didn’t exactly have many positive role-models for relationships…”</p><p>“We only got this far because we communicated with each other,” Netossa explained, earning an approving nod from her wife,”But if Spinny hadn’t taken that first step, who knows? I was being a big chicken about my feelings and could have missed out on the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”</p><p>“You two are already together now though,” Spinerella hummed,”And now you’re just in knots about what you think the ‘next step’ is, right? Or, what you <em> want </em> the next step to be.”</p><p>Hitting the nail on the head, Adora took a long drink from her tea. Expecting disgust, expecting shame, all the feelings she’d been having with herself over the simple act of wanting, she was rather shocked when Netossa nudged her in the side with an elbow, cackling.</p><p>“Ok! I see you! You want a little bit of <em> alone time </em> with your girl. You can save an entire planet from a tyrannical evil overlord no problem, but the idea of touching her makes your palms sweaty,” she teased, snickering,”That’s normal! Being nervous is fine! If it’s something you want, you should go for it. But you need to talk to Catra to sort out what works best for the both of you first. I’m pretty sure she wants the same thing anyway, with how she’s always hanging off of you at meetings. It’s pretty obvious.”</p><p>“What? But-- that’s just Catra,” Adora insisted, earning more laughter.</p><p>“Adora, sweetheart, Catra doesn’t do it to anybody else but you,” Spinerella pointed out. </p><p>Feeling very small, Adora set her tea down with a soft,”Oh.” She knew that! She did! But for some reason she still had a hard time letting reality take hold. She and Catra loved each other, and these doubts were nobody’s fault; if anything, she just felt guilty for having them in the first place. But hearing someone else tell her it was normal to be nervous was at least some weight off her chest.</p><p>“Look-- just, talk to her, ok?” Netossa suggested again,”And be patient. Those conversations aren’t just a one and done deal. Cut yourself some slack in the meantime.”</p><p>Face finally back to an acceptable shade, Adora sighed out, and nodded a few more times, finishing her tea. She set the empty cup down, and said,”Thank you. And, sorry for showing up unannounced like this. I’ll hurry and get out of your hair.”<br/><br/>Standing, Netossa got up with her to see her out, Spinerella insisting she come back any time she needed. With goodbyes out of the way, Netossa closed the door once she left and sighed out. Netossa returned to the loveseat Spinerella was in, and sat down with her, leaning into her side. Spinerella draped her arm around her shoulder, kissing the fuzz of her undercut with a warm chuckle, murmuring in her ear,”You give great advice, darling.” </p><p>Netossa rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself, and turned to lean up and plant a proper kiss, sliding an arm across her waist as she said,”I know.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love dumb wordplay </p><p>Bit of Spinetossa thrown in because I love me some married wives. Big delay on this chapter due to some personal drama whoops, and a stubborn goal of making every chapter at least 5000 words. Y'all prefer the longer content or would you mind shorter snippet chapters?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Valley of the Lost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Huntara is in this one. Adora is as competitive and childish as ever around her. Catra's turn to get handsy. Scorpia and Catra chat.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Returning to the Crimson Waste was not exactly something on the top of Catra’s to-do list. Not that it was a particularly unpleasant place to her, compared to some of her other less than savory experiences, but because of… well…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She watched Adora posture and puff up, boasting about how she was just as good and strong as the large, purple-skinned, white-haired warrior woman who stood an easy head and shoulders above her. Catra sat under the shade, the tall yawning cavernous walls of the Valley of the Lost stretching high above. At that time of day, the sun beat down directly overhead; she’d probably have to slather some salve on Adora’s shoulders later. She’d refused ointment provided by Perfuma to protect against sunburn, all because Huntara had poked fun at the gift from the Flower Girl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anything, their little challenge to one another to see how many roofs they could finish tiling meant they’d probably be out of there sooner than expected. Perfuma had been using the extensive root network to easily move tiles up sections of scaffolding, but made her way over to join Catra under the shade of her tarp, cradling a wooden cup of some sort of purple liquid in each hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thoroughly strained cactus juice with the flower blossoms crushed and mixed in,” she said to the unasked question. Catra sat up and accepted her drink with a thanks, scooting over to make room for her to sit and join her without comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s going to be so sunburnt,” Catra hummed before sipping at the little pink straw sticking out of her drink, watching Adora through narrowed eyes. As nice a sight as it was to watch, her sleeves rolled up past her shoulders and her jacket tied around her waist, a slick column of sweat down her spine, the damp material of her shirt clinging to her torso, she just </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> all that beautiful exposed skin of her arms would be red and peeling in the hours to come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They always get like this, according to Bow. I only saw a little bit of it myself the last time we were here,” Perfuma mused, before she shook her head, looking to Catra and asking,”So. Have you had the chance to talk to Scorpia yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t look at her, but tore her eyes away from Adora and Huntara bumping elbows and nearly tripping each other off the roof of the structure they were currently on long enough to look over to Scorpia, moving a large crate of material off the Brightmoon transport that had rolled up just a few minutes prior. A good number of locals were pitching in to help too; Huntara had been skeptical about accepting “handouts” from the Princesses, but Glimmer had pointed out they would just steal it off each other anyway. So in a way, they’d be giving back to their own community. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora had also expressed wanting to finally properly thank Huntara for getting Glimmer and Bow out when they were attacked in Mara’s ship. It had been to stroke her ego, but it still stung Catra to hear. Adora hadn’t looked her way, but Huntara’s yellowed eyes landed on her for a split second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Is that why I’m here?” Catra then grumbled, sliding down farther against the cool rock wall at her back, pushing her toes under a patch of sand at her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perfuma smiled knowingly, saying,”You’ve got two people here you believe you owe apologies to. You already know Scorpia forgives you.” Catra ran a hand down her face, groaning, tail flicking from side to side irritably as Melog nudged her on the hip with his snout. It was an encouraging gesture, but only served to cause her to huff out in agitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know… I just… need some time. To prepare. Metnally, you know?” she said, waving vaguely as she spoke, hoping Perfuma knew what she was trying to get at. If there were few people who understood Catra’s broad, unclear terms when speaking about her </span>
  <em>
    <span>emotions, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Perfuma was certainly one of them. She smiled again, the freckles across her face and shoulders darkened by the sun, a warm glow to her skin seeming to add to the warmth and comfort radiating off of the other girl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And Huntara is not as intimidating as she seems,” Perfuma giggled into her drink. That caught Catra’s attention, smelling a story there. She sat up, arching a brow, wordlessly prompting her to continue. “She can be… kind. And understanding. And patient,” the Princess continued, glancing down at her cup, running her finger slowly along the rim of it,”And supportive as well. She acts tough, but I believe she enjoys our company. She just doesn’t want to seem soft by showing it.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra turned her head to look up, watching Huntara yawn widely into one hand, the other pressed over Adora’s face, palm covering it completely. Holding her at arm’s length, Adora gave up briefly trying to get past her on the scaffolding alongside the roof they were working on, then turned and dropped her weight, handily flipping the massive woman over her shoulder with a triumphant hoot. The force of Huntara’s weight when she landed caused the wooden structure to shudder and shake, but she barked out an impressed laugh and said something along the lines of,”I’m impressed, blondie!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra was more preoccupied with the way Adora’s expression lit up at the praise, and an ugly feeling swirled in the pit of her stomach. It twisted sharply when Huntara pat her once on the head, and Adora continued to beam, puffing up her chest as they got back to work. Melog gave a concerned grumble, and she shook her head, trying to simply force the feeling to go away. She was very familiar with jealousy. Ever since they were little, before she knew why, she could recall being jealous over her </span>
  <em>
    <span>best friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> spending time with anybody else but her. With other friends. Even when Adora had assured her it was ok, it had been nearly impossible to shake the feeling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt juvenile, for that feeling to rear its head now. Catra knew she had nothing to be jealous about! It wasn’t as if Huntara had any intent with her. But… well… Huntara was </span>
  <em>
    <span>big</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She was tall, with broad shoulders, wide hips, frame packed with solid muscle. If Catra had to guess she’d even say her height matched She-Ra. There was no denying Adora had an admiration for physical strength, always trying to show off in their training days to the bigger, older recruits. It wasn’t like it was a secret either, so one couldn’t blame Catra for previously having doubt in the possibility of Adora liking her back. She wasn’t exactly Adora’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>type</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as shallow an idea that was to have. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It bubbled insecurity in her gut and she hated it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra drained her cup and stood, grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler, a determined set to her brow. She heard Perfuma call out to her questioningly, but Catra continued onward without explanation, approaching the building her girlfriend and Huntara were currently atop the roof of. With ease, she scaled the scaffolding, Adora immediately taking notice of her arrival. Her ponytail was slightly loose, stray strands sticking this way and that, sweat causing some to stick to her forehead, and she set down the mud pan and piece of tile she had in her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought you could use a drink,” Catra greeted, unscrewing the cap and holding it out as Adora approached, wiping her hands on the thighs of her pants. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Adora practically purred the words, leaning in and planting a wet kiss on her cheek, a consequence Catra hadn’t considered as sweat rubbed off on her fur. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Augh! Gross,” she squealed, Adora grinning as she chugged back a few mouthfuls, wiping her mouth on the back of her forearm once she was done.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ahh, I remember you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Catra bumped into something solid as she retreated from a very smug Adora, and she turned around, her ears flattening back as Huntara loomed over her. She had a stern, scrutinizing look on her face, and she folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes before she snorted once, adding,”Y’know, it was a pain getting this place back in line. Some of my guys were asking when you’d be comin’ back. Took weeks to get them to stop moping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small tug at the corner of her mouth betrayed Huntara’s projected annoyance, and she gave Catra a slap on the back, grinning,”No hard feelings! I took back what was mine. You’ll have to fight me for it if you plan on taking over again though, Kitten.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Catra stumbled slightly at the force of the jovial blow, and shook her head hurriedly, saying,”No! No, you can have it. I don’t want this place. I’m happy in Brightmoon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind her, Adora paused. She’d never heard Catra say that. Her heart warmed at the unsaid implication. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m happy in Brightmoon with Adora</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She grinned into her water bottle, and Huntara glanced over Catra to her with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhh. I see,” Huntara started, a teasing drawl to her tone as she threw an arm around Catra, the other hooking over Adora’s shoulders to yank the two of them in with a chuckle deep in her chest,”That’s what’s got you kids so busy these days. Got your hands too full being lovey-dovey to come see poor old Huntara in the Crimson Waste.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Shut up,” Adora snorted, Catra relaxing somewhat at the returned banter. She didn’t know Huntara as well as the others did, so it was hard for her to tell if she was joking or not. Seemed she enjoyed trying to get under </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> skin on purpose, in good humor at least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Huntara let go of Catra, feeling the discomfort coming off of her fur in waves, and used her now free hand to give Adora a rough noogie, further messing up her hair, laughing,”Well I’m happy for ya! Good for you, Blondie. This one’s strong.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what about you, huh?” Adora countered, giving her a swift elbow to the gut, connecting with abs so solid Catra was pretty sure you could wash laundry on them,”How’re things going with you and that bartender lady, hm?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Huntara gave her a light shove, releasing her from her hold with huff, grumbling,”That’s none of your business.” A ghost of a smile did curve her lips, and Adora seemed satisfied, so Catra shrugged and turned to head back to her shady spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two knuckleheads have fun getting heat exhaustion,” she said over her shoulder with a wave, rolling her eyes with a fond smile as Adora called back after her,”Aww, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> care!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course she cared. She’d always cared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>- </span><span>-</span> <span>-</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adora hissed in sharply between her teeth, before a pained whine crawled up her throat. She laid on her stomach, a cold wet cloth draped over the back of her neck as Catra carefully applied salve to the back of her bare shoulders. As expected, her arms were red and sensitive, but the sun had burnt her shoulders and neck the worst. Catra simply made a tutting sound in response, dragging cooling ointment over the already peeling damaged skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could’ve used the sunscreen Perfuma offered,” Catra hummed, unamused. She didn’t exactly enjoy seeing Adora in so much discomfort. Straddling her lower back, Catra reached for the jar of salve to scoop out another generous application, some of it dripping off her fingers onto the middle of Adora’s bare back, causing the other girl to tense slightly underneath her before forcing herself to relax with a groan. Adora lifted her head from where she had her face pressed into her pillow, turning to look back over her shoulder up at Catra with a pout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know… but Huntara just… Ugh,” she huffed, flopping back down into her pillow. Catra smirked, wiping a hand dry on the towel draped across her thigh, and reached up, combing back a few strands of blond hair away from Adora’s face, tucking loose locks behind her ears. She didn’t miss the way Adora’s frame shivered underneath her as a claw gently scraped the shell of her ear with the motion, the tips going red having nothing to do with her sunburn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She used to be in the Horde, too,” Adora mumbled through her pillow,”She knows just how cutthroat and competitive things were. I think she gets a kick trying to get me to run myself ragged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra leaned down, done with the ointment for now, screwing the lid back on the jar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do it so willingly, too,” she teased, blowing cool air on the back of her other ear, feeling a jolt in her gut at how Adora’s hips briefly lifted under her own, pushing back up against her. It was subtle enough not to disturb her balance, thighs framing either side of her waist. But pressed this closely together, it would be impossible to miss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra…” Adora started, lifting her head up again to speak, her voice coming out in a breathy tremble. Between the sunburn, the cooling sensation of the ointment, and Catra’s weight on her lower back, she was nearly hyperaware of her girlfriend’s presence, her frame hovering over her. Hell, she could nearly feel the vibration of her purring, probably pleased as punch with herself that Adora could do little more than whine about it in the current state she was in. It hurt to move her arms and turn her head too much, so she weakly kicked her feet behind her in protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I’m not doing anything,” Catra laughed in response, setting the jar aside on the bed, before resting the heels of her palms on the middle of her back, kneading in slightly. She spread her fingers over the expanse of her skin, taking care to ensure her claws were retracted, feeling small nicks and scars speckling her ribcage. Adora was solid in her hands, and she was finding it incredibly relaxing to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch</span>
  </em>
  <span> her like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nights were surprisingly quiet in their little section of the Valley of the Lost, the sound of desert crickets chirping outside their tent the only noise she could pinpoint. Distant chatter was far enough away that it faded into obscure whispers on the breeze. One didn’t have to make an effort to ignore it. Besides, her whole world was right here, squirming underneath her as she massaged her touch along her back, careful not to touch her sunburnt shoulders or the cold cloth on her neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Searching hands found hard sections of knotted muscle, frowning at each spot. Catra would press into them, deep circular motions. At first, Adora growled, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing her face harder into her pillow, hands clutching the sheets white-knuckled, but she didn’t utter a single verbal complaint. As the tight flesh loosened, Adora would soon be practically melting into their cot, expression slowly shifting from pained to drowsy as Catra eventually seemed to finish with working the kinks out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satisfied with her work, Catra sat up. Her thighs were a bit stiff from straddling her seat for so long, and she swung her leg over the side of the bed with a light grunt before getting to her feet. On wobbly knees for a moment, she tossed the jar and towel ontop of their bags at the foot of the bed. Just as she was about to undress for bed, hearing Adora already begin to snore behind her, someone cleared their throat outside their tent flaps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, Catra? Are you guys still awake?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Scorpia! Catra’s heart pitched into her throat, and she almost tripped over her belongings. Perfuma normally would never tell anyone anything Catra had said without her express consent. Had she told Scorpia she wanted to talk to her? Taking a deep breath to calm down and keep herself from jumping to any conclusions, she held very still. From his spot on the floor, Melog lifted his head, looking between the tent entrance and Catra curiously, before giving a loud meow. He got up, padding over to the flaps, and Catra nearly cursed aloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Throwing the entrance open, Scorpia leapt back as Catra exited the tent abruptly, grabbing one of Scorpia’s large claws to drag her away from the tent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora’s sleeping already,” she explained with a huff, trying not to show how tense this whole potential situation was making her. They stopped a handful of yards away; it was dark, not that that bothered Catra. Scorpia had a small lantern held very carefully between two pincers, casting shadows over her sharp features, the cut of her jaw, the curve of her lips where she smiled a bit tentatively at her. “What do you want?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Scorpia faltered a moment at her tone; curt and annoyed, before Catra held up a hand and took another deep breath. To Scorpia’s surprise, Catra exhaled in a long, slow breath, before saying,”I’m sorry. That was rude.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>That alone put that big dumb pleased look on Scorpia’s face, and Catra let go of her claw to fold her arms across her chest, blush creeping up her neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apology accepted,” Scorpia said, all smiles, and though her voice and delight almost always sounded exaggerated, Catra knew she was as sincere as could be,”I just wanted to see if you were free to talk. We haven’t really had much of a chance to, after everything. Between me rebuilding my kingdom and you and Adora with all that other stuff, I know things have been really busy.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Her expression softened slightly in the lamp light, and she added, quieter,”I heard about Salineas. That can’t have been easy for you to go back there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra tensed, having wanted nothing more than to push that entire debacle out of her mind. Sure, fixing the Sea Gate had been… a good thing! … and the party had been, ugh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but she had worked herself to the bone trying to prove herself to people who might never see her any differently than the tyrant who helped destroy their home in the first place. It had been a very uncomfortable yet also rewarding experience, and those conflicting feelings made it all the harder to process. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not to mention the unspoken conflict between them. Scorpia had left the Horde leading up to the attack on Salineas because of… because of Catra. Because of how she treated her. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re a bad friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra hated to admit it but those simple words had stung a lot more than she’d let on. And she had felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> for it, too. She didn’t need friends! She didn’t need to be nice to anybody! All that mattered was the mission. All that mattered was conquering Etheria. So… why did it hurt so much when someone else left the Horde? Left </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Not to mention the guilt in her gut as she realized that Scorpia had been gone for days before she had even noticed her absence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scorpia--”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Catra--”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They both opened their mouths to talk at the same time, stumbling over their words, fumbling for the right thing to say. Scorpia clammed up, almost reflexively, and Catra bit her tongue to keep from commenting on it before they both dissolved into a fit of comfortable laughter, the tension slowly ebbing out of the smaller woman’s frame. Scorpia cocked her head to the side, waiting, before Catra shook her head and said,”No, you first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scorpia only hesitated a moment, a bit of mild surprise on her face before she smiled, nodding once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say… I’m glad you came back. I was really worried about you; none of us here on Etheria knew where you were, or what had happened to you when Horde Prime first showed up. And then I got chipped, and didn’t even see you until after,” Scorpia started, absently rubbing the back of her neck with the broad side of her claw, rolling her shoulders. It was an absent gesture most Etherians had adopted if they’d been under Horde Prime’s control, and Catra felt a pang of responsibility every time. If she hadn’t opened the portal, he never would have found them. Right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were still worried about me?” Catra found herself asking the question before she could stop it. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Scorpia</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Of course she’d still worried. “Even after I was so cruel to you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Of course, Wildcat! The entire reason I left in the first place was because I knew you needed help. Help I couldn’t give anymore, not when you didn’t want to accept it. I thought if I went to the Princesses for help, they might know how to stop what was going on, and with everything calmed down after, we could figure things out. Now, obviously things didn’t go… </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span>... “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scorpia trailed off, pursing her lips, watching Catra’s expression carefully. She was tip-toeing, not wanting to make her upset or set her off. It was a level of consideration Catra was certain she didn’t deserve, coming from Scorpia of all people. She’d treated her the same way Catra had hated to be treated; like she was expendable. Any time she made a mistake, or didn’t do something exactly how she had wanted, she chewed her out for it, called her useless, pushed her away. Catra winced, a sour taste in her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Scorpia. For everything,” Catra said in a shaky exhale, her hands clenching at her sides as she found herself unable to meet her eyes, ducking her head,”I Shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. You were only trying to help. You were only ever nice to me, and I just--”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She yelped as she was suddenly scooped up in two big strong arms, lifted clean off her feet, crushed to sections of Scorpia’s solid exoskeletal exterior, warm and baked from the daytime sun that had long since set. Scorpia rested her chin atop her head, flattening one of her ears to the side, lightly swinging her from side to side. After a moment, Catra huffed out a sigh, rolling her eyes, before she moved her arms as much as she could with her biceps pinned to her side by Scorpia’s hold, splaying her hands on either side of her torso with a soft pat to return the hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s all I wanted to hear. Thank you for apologizing,” Scorpia said in an obviously practiced tone, but still sounding satisfied. Pressed this close there was no denying the way she puffed up a bit, relief and delight written on her face as she set Catra down. Blushing, Catra took a moment to smooth the fur of her tail and flatten her hair back down, trying very hard not to smile at the huge grin Scorpia wore. That had gone leagues better than her encounter with Mermista… Even though Scorpia had every right to be angry with her. Every right to not forgive her, or listen to her apology. But Scorpia had come to her, with open arms and an open heart, just like always. She didn’t plan on taking that for granted ever again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Recalling Adora teasing Huntara earlier, Catra was finally able to look back up at Scorpia, mischief in her bi-colored eyes, reflecting the light of the lamp. Scorpia tensed, somehow knowing what was coming next, cheeks reddening considerably even as Catra opened her mouth, teasingly starting,”So, you and Perfuma…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>-</span> <span>-</span> <span>-</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They talked for a handful of hours, under the stars. The cold desert night didn’t bother either of them, planting themselves to sit in the sand, the lamp between them dimming low on oil their only indicator of time passing. It reminded Catra of late-night talks with Bow and Glimmer and Adora when they all crashed in one of their rooms together, just without the snacks. She mostly listened this time around, prompting Scorpia to continue, reassuring her she wasn’t annoyed or bored. It was actually kind of admirable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Listening to Scorpia talk about rebuilding her kingdom, she had a lot of work to do. The established infrastructure of the Fright Zone had been built ontop of her family’s territory, after all. Old remnants still remained, ruins of her lost legacy. They had managed to recover some old history books, scrolls, tablets, but the time to research those things had been overshadowed by the more pressing issue of building usable, sturdy, dependable housing. Apparently a… a cluster? A group? A traveling band of seemingly nomadic Horde Clones had wandered into the territory, looking for a place of belonging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d decided to let them stay, as they weren’t hurting anybody, and they’d started to help with the rebuilding efforts. In exchange for a place to stay, they worked and rested around the kingdom just like any other subject. Scorpia expressed it was a bit creepy but nothing bad had happened yet. When Catra jokingly suggested it would be some funny form of poetic justice that her first subjects she would be ruling over were clones of her previous boss, Scorpia got very quiet. She still seemed to be struggling with coming to grips with being a Princess by right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra just elbowed her in the side, making a joke about how strong her magic was, having been on the receiving end. Thankfully she laughed at that, and they soon parted ways back to their respective tents with one more hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra yawned widely on her walk back, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. Slipping into her tent, Adora was still snoring away, spread-eagle on her stomach on their cot. Melog was curled up half underneath the bed, contentedly purring away in his sleep, reflecting the inner peace and weight lifted from Catra’s heart after her conversation with Scorpia. It brought a small smile to her tired face, and she quietly undressed before moving to crawl into bed. A bit difficult with her girlfriend taking up the entire mattress…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora,” she whispered, reaching a hand over and removing the long-dried cloth from the back of her neck, before rubbing circles between her shoulder blades with her thumb, knowing it didn’t take much to wake the light sleeper. Adora stirred sharply; a jolt up her spine, a tensing of muscles as her eyes flickered open, quickly finding Catra’s gaze, practically glowing in the dark back down at her. Stiffly, wordlessly, Adora rolled onto her side with a wince, lifting her arm, open and making space for her to join her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra leaned down, careful not to fully dive into her hold like she normally would, not wanting to hurt her. She curled her tail forward over her hip, laying down. Adora laid her arm around her middle and pulled her in, pressing herself fully along Catra’s back, hips flush to hers, legs tangled ontop of the sheets since it felt too warm inside the tent to pull the blankets up. Catra shivered when Adora pushed her face into the back of her neck, mouth ghosting soothingly over the spot where the chip had used to be. Long since removed, long since healed over, there was no evidence it had ever been there. It was still a sensitive spot for all the wrong reasons, but she didn’t squirm, comforted by Adora’s affection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still half asleep, Adora sighed against her fur, nuzzling her nose into wisps of her hair, breathing deeply as she mumbled,”Hey Catra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra snorted a quiet laugh, hugging her arms to the hold around her middle, keeping her close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go back to sleep,” she scolded, whispering, a smile in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’d you go?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just to talk with Scorpia. We had some catching up to do.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It couldn’t wait until morning?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Adora was just whining to be a brat. Her heart wasn’t in the complaint, and Catra could feel her grin where she was now trailing sleepy kisses down the side of her neck to the crook of her shoulder.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You were fine without me. Surprised you didn’t wake the whole camp with your snoring,” Catra teased, before another wide yawn interrupted her train of thought. Adora settled down then, dropping her head to the pillow, and Catra followed suit, content to curl up with just the two of them in the dark. She listened to Adora’s breathing slow again, and found herself dozing off right along with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A perk about falling asleep in the arms of the one you love?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Waking up to them every morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora was first to stir. She gently squeezed, inches of space between her body and Catra’s that she wanted to correct. Her shoulders felt a lot better. She reminded herself to go thank Perfuma later for the concoction, and to listen to her next time… But for now, she carefully sat up, propping herself up on her elbow. She lifted her free hand, letting her fingertips trace along the soft fuzz of Catra’s jawline, to her chin, blue eyes sweeping over her face to rest on her parted lips, breathing evenly, slowly. Then she grinned to herself, moving her touch to rest just on the tip of one of Catra’s ears, watching it twitch out from under her fingers only to flicker back into place and repeat the process.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>What? It was cute!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mrrmp..?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora held very still as Catra inhaled deeply, her face tensing up as she rolled back slowly, pushing her body into Adora’s, blinking her eyes open to find her staring down at her. Adora smiled, and tipped her head down, greeting her with a kiss to the forehead as Catra licked her lips, dry from sleeping with her mouth open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning,” Adora murmured, whispering, not wanting to shatter the quiet of the morning. The rest of the world wasn’t awake yet, so she was in no rush. Her heart skipped a beat when she watched Catra smile, sleepiness in her eyes sharpening to a loving stare as she woke up the rest of the way. Adora couldn’t help but kiss her again, properly this time, wanting to steal as much time as they could and do whatever they wanted with it. Catra kissed her back with a contented sigh against her lips, and Adora rolled forward the rest of the way to lay ontop of her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She braced her weight on her elbows on either side of Catra’s shoulders, slim and lithe underneath her wider frame. She could never quite figure out where to put her legs-- one knee between Catra’s thighs, mindful not to press too close, still unsure if that was something they should explore. She vaguely recalled Netossa’s advice, when she suddenly jumped with a sharp hiss.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Catra had reached up to wrap her arms around her neck, and in her morning haze, hadn’t retracted her claws, scraping over her sunburnt shoulders. They both froze, Adora staring down at Catra’s wide, apologetic eyes, before they both started to laugh. Adora flopped down, pressing her weight fully down on Catra with an exasperated groan, saying,”I </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> should have listened to Perfuma…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d have plenty of other mornings to explore that avenue. For now, more ointment needed. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those of you who don't know, since I don't think I've ever mentioned it before, just thought I'd throw it out there that I work full time. The only time I really get to write are my weekends ;-; And with work picking up again as things where I live start opening up again, work is getting busier. I'm trying to decide which plot points to pursue and in what order, but at the same time I love dumb fluff. What a predicament</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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